And it happened on a Christmas night
by DragonRyuuji
Summary: What would happen if Ryuuji never went to see Minori on that christmas night? Will it completely change the course Ryuuji and Taiga takes with their feelings?
1. Chapter 1

**A Christmas night**

"Thank you. I really mean it. Thank you, Ryuuji." Taiga smiled carefully as she removed the bear mask from Ryuuji's head. He started flailing his arms.

"H-hey, don't take it off!" His face was slightly flustered. Taiga's face looked really happy as she looked down at the Ryuuji who had dressed up as Santa Claus and come through her window.

"You are kind of an idiot, you know. I'd planned this night so well so that you could meet up with Minorin. She's already headed to the party."

She smiled at him brightly as she finally convinced him to leave.

Turning around, she noticed the red scarf on the floor. As she bent down to pick it up, she felt surprised by the tears dripping onto it.

"Huh? Why?" She thought as she put a hand to her face. It was then she realized she didn't want Ryuuji to leave.

He was in love with Minori, and she definitely liked him too. She would no longer be by Ryuuji's side. "I don't.. want that."

She said to herself, her voice shaking. She bolted out the door without shoes or socks, running into the streets.

The tears were flowing from her face now, and she ignored the uncomfortable feeling as her feet touched the cold pavement.

She fell to her knees, not even noticing the silhouette of someone sitting towards the wall not far from her, nor did that person notice her at once.

"Geez, my feelings changed in the last min-" as he was mumbling to himself, he was cut off by the crying screams after his name, not more than 20 meters away from him.

"Ryuuji! Ryuuji!"

Taiga's voice was shaking a lot as she looked at the ground, sitting on her knees. Ryuuji held the bear-head in his hands, between his legs, and he looked towards the source of the crying, very confused.

"T-Taiga?" He said with a weak voice, not fully grasping the situation.

"Why are you.. wait, don't tell me.." Ryuuji looked towards the crying girl with slight sadness in his eyes.

He carefully got up and started walking in her direction, still wearing the big Santa suit.

"Ryuuji!" Taiga cried even more now. Suddenly, a gentle voice appeared behind her. "I'm right here."

Taiga froze in disbelief. "Ryuu.. ji?" She looked up at the boy who was smiling gently at her. Taiga stared at him, tears still flowing from her eyes.

She felt embarrassed, knowing that Ryuuji had probably heard her screams. "What are you doing out here in the cold like that?" Ryuuji asked calmly. Taiga just looked down.

"I-.. What about you? W-why aren't you at the party?" She asked, trying to dodge Ryuuji's question. Ryuuji suddenly blushed a little, scratching his nose with his index finger.

"W-well, that's.. I just.. didn't feel like going.. for some reason.." He looked back down at Taiga, a little concerned. '_She was screaming my name'_, he thought.

"I'm going home, stupid dog." Taiga said, trying to hide the quiver in her voice. '_Why didn't he go?_'

"W-what? No! You're coming with me, and I'll make sure you get something warm to drink." Ryuuji said, firmly. Taiga stood up slowly.

"I wouldn't want to intrude on Ya-chan." She answered him, most of the insecurity gone from her voice. Ryuuji just shook his head.

"She's working all night. Come here." He waved for Taiga to follow. '_I shouldn't_', she thought, '_not after all of this. What if he finds out?_'

She stood there, still refusing. Ryuuji shook his head again, sighing. He walked over to her and turned his back to her. Before she could refuse, he lifted her up on his back and quickly walked back into his house.

On the way to his house, Taiga repeatedly slammed her tiny fists on his back, "Stupid, stupid, stupid dog!" she shouted.

He just shrugged at her stubbornness as he opened the door and removed his shoes. It was first when he had closed the door that he set Taiga down.

"Really, you're so stubborn! Why are you bringing me here when you could be with Minorin right now?" Taiga sounded annoyed, and spoke with a childish tone to her voice, with no signs left of her crying.

Ryuuji just waved her off and walked towards the kitchen. "Just go into the living room and find yourself a blanket, and I'll be right out."

Taiga finally gave up and quietly slumped down by the table. It really was cold outside, wearing that tiny black dress.

She let her head fall slowly onto the table, just sitting there. Thinking. After a couple of minutes, Ryuuji came out from the kitchen with a steaming cup of hot chocolate in his hand.

"You're so careless. I told you to get a blanket, didn't I? You'll catch a cold like that." Ryuuji put the cup down besides Taiga and went to get a blanket for her. Upon finding one, he carefully slipped it over Taiga's shoulders and went into his bedroom to change his clothes.

"This suit is way too warm." He said to himself. While putting on a sweater and some pants, he started thinking. '_Why did I stop back there? I was running for the party, but then I realized.._'

He scratched the bridge of his nose with two fingers. '_How come I didn't notice this before?_' He shook his head, thinking that he shouldn't make a fuzz about it. It would be wrong towards Taiga.

After a while, Ryuuji emerged from his bedroom in a new change of clothes, and he sat down by the table, opposed to Taiga. She carefully sipped from her hot drink, not saying anything to begin with.

The silence filled the air for a while, until Taiga broke it suddenly. "You're so stubborn, stupid dog. I'd planned all of this for you, and then you just leave it behind." She looked up at Ryuuji, a little annoyed.

"I had to make sure you didn't catch a cold." Ryuuji answered her, quickly. She shook her head. "Why didn't you leave for the party in the first place?"

Ryuuji suddenly looked a little nervous. "Eh.. I don't really know. Just a gut feeling, I guess." He said, trying to sound convincing. Taiga just looked at him weirdly.

"Come over here for a second." She said, suddenly. Ryuuji looked a little confused, but he crawled on all four around the table, facing Taiga. She stared at him for a moment before she pinched his cheek.

"Foolish little dog! An owner is supposed to look after its dog, not the other way around!" She pulled his cheek back and forth. Ryuuji flinched a little.

"Argh!" His eyes widened as his arm disappeared under his body and he lost his balance. He fell forwards, pushing Taiga down with him.

"Argh.." Taiga opened her eyes slowly, feeling a little pain in the back of her head. "That hurt, stupid do-"

She suddenly froze, seeing Ryuuji right above her. He managed to stop himself from falling completely, supporting one hand on the floor on each side of Taiga.

He looked at her, dumbfounded, feeling the blood rise through his cheeks and to the tip of his ears. Taiga started blushing too, staring at Ryuuji, not able to do a thing. "R-ryuuji.."

Ryuuji stared blankly into her eyes for a little while before snapping back to his senses.

"I'm sorry, I-!" he stopped, not sure what to say further. He hadn't moved yet, though. A tear appeared in the corner of Taiga's eye. "Ryuuji.." she said with a shaky voice.

He looked nervous. "Taiga, are you hurt? Did you hit your head? I'm so so-" he was interrupted by Taiga's voice rising a bit.

"Ryuuji..!" He stopped abruptly, looking at her with a confused face. "Taiga..?" His voice sounded dumbfounded. Taiga started talking, more tears flowing from her eyes.

"I know this is selfish.. and I know I don't deserve this, not even saying the words, but just this once, I want to think about myself. I know this will earn me nothing, but right now, I can't help it. I have to say this." She spoke with a sad, determined voice.

Ryuuji looked even more confused by now. "This is unfair to you, and it is unfair to Minorin, but.. Ryuuji.. I don't want you to leave me. No matter who you spend your life with, I want to be able to see you, Takasu Ryuuji. I want to be able to walk by your side, even if it's too much to ask."

Her voice was shaking now, tears flooding uncontrollably. Ryuuji stared at her for a while, before he suddenly put his arms behind Taiga's back and pulled her into a gentle hug.

"You're not alone, Taiga! I told you that day, didn't I? I'm a dragon, and you are a tiger. As a dragon, I am to be your equal, and to stay by your side forever. That's how it is, right?"

Ryuuji's voice was saddened, and his vision was blurred. Taiga sat there completely still for a while, tears still flowing from her eyes. After a while, she wrapped her arms around him.

"Ryuuji!" She started bawling, letting out all her emotions at once. She closed her eyes and leaned her chin over Ryuuji's shoulder, shaking. Ryuuji tightened his grip around her, trying to comfort her.

'_I can't tell her about my feelings, can I? Surely she would never think like that about me._' He thought, still holding onto her. Her sulking started to slow down, and in a couple of minutes her breath was completely relaxed.

She had fallen asleep. Ryuuji sighed, finally free from this tear-jerking moment. He couldn't drop Taiga down now, because it would wake her up, so instead, he picked her up carefully and carried her into his room and put her down on his already stretched out futon.

After pulling a blanket over her, he silently pulled an extra futon out of a cabinet. He turned off the lights after silently watching Taiga for a couple of seconds.

He walked into the living room and put the futon down. He got down on it, and just lay there for a while, thinking about what just happened. That was the first time he had ever been that close to Taiga.

_She was crying.. why?_ _Was she really that afraid of losing him?_ After all, he was just a guy who'd help her from time to time.

Restless, Ryuuji turned on the TV. He watched it from his futon, hoping it would help him sleep. He wanted to go check on Taiga, no, he wanted to watch her.

But he knew that such a thing would seem immoral, even though that wasn't his intentions. After a while, Ryuuji fell asleep, a cartoon playing on the television, the sounds carefully entering his subconsciousness.

Ryuuji had a lot of dreams that night, mostly related to what had just happened. _What was he to Taiga? What did he want to be to her?_ His newly found feelings were confusing him a lot, making it hard for him to have a calm night of sleep.

Taiga suddenly awoke from a strange dream. She shot her arms in the air, as if trying to embrace someone. She was confused at first, but then she remembered.

'_I fell asleep, huh? In a situation like that, too.._' she thought to herself. She felt sad, confused and embarrassed. What would she say to Ryuuji?

It wasn't like she'd confessed to him or anything, but she still felt a little uncomfortable with it. She directed her focus towards the door, hearing sounds from the living room.

She checked the time on a watch hanging on the wall. It was 3 o'clock in the middle of the night. She carefully stood up and walked into the living room, where she saw Ryuuji sleeping on a futon in front of the TV. She sighed a little.

"Foolish dog.." she carefully walked over to him, trying not to wake him. He looked so calm. As she came closer, she suddenly stopped, holding a hand in front of her mouth.

Looking down on Ryuuji's face, she saw the dark lines under his eyes, and she noticed that his cheeks had moist lines running down from his eyes.

"Ryuuji.." Taiga suddenly looked very sad. He had been crying in his sleep. She was about to turn and walk, even more afraid to wake him now, when she heard his voice. He was mumbling in his sleep, a sad tone to his voice.

"Taiga.." She froze on the spot. She fell to her knees so quietly that it could barely be heard, and she held a hand firmly over her own mouth. She started shaking.

A new tear found its way down Ryuuji's face, but his expression was calm.

Taiga crawled over until she sat on her knees very close to the sleeping Ryuuji. She placed her hand on the hand he had resting on his own chest. She held it gently, trying to keep herself from crying too.

Ryuuji shifted around a little, slightly startling Taiga. She felt relieved by him not waking up. Still sleeping, Ryuuji suddenly grabbed Taiga's hand firmly. She looked surprised at first, but settled in soon enough. She'd never seen Ryuuji this vulnerable before.

Taiga just sat there, holding his hand for about 5 minutes without anything happening. Suddenly, Ryuuji brought a hand up to his own lips, as if capturing a sensation in his dreams.

He opened his eyes slightly, his expression looking really tired. "Taiga.." he said, not really noticing the fact that she was right next to him. Her expression was slightly put off, but she watched him calmly.

"Ryuuji.." she said, a gentle tone to her voice. A little startled, Ryuuji looked up at her.

"Tai-" he suddenly noticed the tears on his cheeks. He wiped them away quickly. Taiga didn't want to tell him what he had said whilst sleeping, so she kept it to herself.

'_It was probably just a coincidence_', she thought to herself. "You must have been dreaming about Minorin, stupid dog. You must regret not going to see her." She did her best to keep a calm façade. Ryuuji still had an unexplainable expression on his face.

"No.. that's not it." He said, a little nervous. "Why were you crying, Taiga? In the streets.. you were crying." Taiga suddenly looked embarrassed, but also nervous.

"It can't have been because you were afraid of losing me.. I've never seen you so upset over losing something as insignificant as me, so-" he was interrupted by Taiga's abrupt voice;

"Idiot! You're not insignificant! All this time, you've been.. you've been.." Taiga was at a loss for words, and she started sulking quietly. Ryuuji looked at her with a saddened expression. "Taiga.."

"I realized something after you left.. No matter how much of a nuisance I was, you stayed by my side. I'm alive, and it's all because of you."

Taiga didn't try to keep her tears back as she let them stream. Ryuuji sat up and looked at her. "What do you mean, Taiga? I promised you I'd stay by your side.. and it's not like I had a problem with it."

He had to struggle not to suddenly embrace her. Looking at her tiny, vulnerable figure, he felt bad for her. _What was she thinking? What made her cry this much? _"When you ran off to Minorin, I was scared.. I was scared that I'd be left behind." Taiga said, still sobbing.

Ryuuji's chest tightened, as if someone had stabbed him right through his heart. He didn't manage to get a word out. As Taiga managed to control her tears a little, she started talking again.

"I didn't want to be a nuisance to you, but I had to run after you.. I just didn't expect you to be there. I don't understand.. why didn't you go? Idiot!" Ryuuji's face suddenly tightened and he looked a little mad.

"I did it because I realized something too!" He was shouting at her, and Taiga opened her eyes wide with surprise. "As I ran, I started thinking.. Why was I running? Why did it matter?"

Ryuuji suddenly grabbed Taiga's hand, and he could no longer control his words. "I finally realized that the one I love was already by my side! She was already walking with me, supporting me through whatever problems we might face! I was an idiot who didn't realize it until now!"

He suddenly stopped, realizing what he'd just said. He saw Taiga's eyes starting to tear up again. "Taiga, I'm sorry, I-" he was interrupted as Taiga jumped towards him and pushed him back onto his futon.

Her light body resting on top of him, clutching her fingers at his shoulders, her head buried in his chest, she started sulking again.

"You idiot.. I love you! I love you!" She was crying a lot now, but she barely managed to get those words out. Ryuuji embraced her tightly, closing his eyes.

"I love you, Taiga.." he said back at her. She finally put her arms all the way around his neck, clinging more into him. After just lying still for a while, Taiga raised her head a little, looking into Ryuuji's eyes.

"Ryuu-" she was interrupted as Ryuuji pulled her closer and put a soft kiss on her lips. Taiga was surprised at first, but accepted the kiss as Ryuuji's warmth spread throughout her body.

She kissed him again, opening her mouth a little. Her breath was heavy, yet calm. She pulled back, staring at him for a while.

"Ryuuji.. I'm freezing, so.. one more." She said, blushing. Ryuuji pulled her back into another kiss without hesitating, and he pulled the covers over them both at the same time. They kissed for a long while, passionately.

In the end, one could see Taiga's face barely coming out from the edge of the covers, sleeping on Ryuuji's chest. He held his arms around her as he too was sleeping peacefully.

In her sleep, Taiga clutched her fingers at Ryuuji's sweater, gripping it tightly. Her cheeks were still flushed with a bright red color. After a while, Yasuko came through the door, completely drunk. Just as she was about to call for Ryuuji, she saw the two of them sleeping on the futon.

No matter how drunk she was, she stood up straight and smiled brightly, a tear almost emerging from her eye. "Finally." She whispered to herself as she silently went to her bedroom.

**So, that was my first fanfic. I'd love to get some reviews on this one, considering I'm still not sure whether to keep writing on this story or begin a new one. Thanks ~**


	2. Chapter 2

**I didn't really seem to get a lot of reviews on the first chapter, but nevertheless, I suddenly had a couple of ideas for upcoming chapters, so I decided to keep going with this story, and hopefully it'll get more attention. Here's chapter 2 ~**

Taiga slowly opened her eyes, flinching a little from the sun hitting her face.

She lay flat on her stomach, her face pointed to the side. Ryuuji wasn't there.

Taiga sat up slowly and started rubbing her eyes before giving out a big yawn.

She started to wonder where Ryuuji had gone, and for a second, she even considered the thought that he'd bailed on her. But that wasn't the Ryuuji she knew.

Taiga suddenly noticed the tempting aroma that entered her nostrils, and she heard noises coming from the kitchen.

As she stood up and walked into the kitchen, she saw Ryuuji standing with his back turned to her, and he was frying something in a pan. Taiga moved a little closer, but Ryuuji didn't notice her footsteps because of her light weight.

'_I'm not even sure what to say to her. Will this entire morning be awkward?' _Ryuuji thought as he fried the eggs in the pan. He started scratching his head a little.

'_She was obviously sad last night. Maybe she only wanted comfort.. maybe she didn't even mean what she said.' _Ryuuji thought deeply, not really knowing what to feel. The only feeling he was sure of was the anxiousness.

As he continued to ponder on his thoughts, he felt something nudge carefully at his sweater. He turned around, but didn't see anything to begin with.

"Huh?" He said right before he looked down into Taiga's eyes. His eyes widened a little in surprise. He felt awkward.

"A-ah, good morning, Taiga." He said, nervously. Taiga didn't answer him, she just stared at him for a while, still pinching his sweater with her fingers.

Ryuuji looked slightly confused, but then Taiga stood on her toes and rested a hand on his chest, the other one on his shoulder, and she put a light, slightly nervous kiss on his lips.

Ryuuji just stood there, dumbfounded, not really knowing what to do. He blushed as Taiga broke the kiss and looked at the floor.

Taiga nervously scratched her cheek with her finger.

"W-what are you making?" She asked with a flustered voice, which Ryuuji just realized was incredibly cute.

It took a while for Ryuuji to come to his senses, still blushing from the kiss.

"Eh.. Oh! I started frying some eggs, and I thought I wanted to make you a nice breakfast now that it's weekend and everything, so I thought I should make some p-pork cutlet." He smiled nervously, looking to the side.

Taiga looked up with a happy glint in her eyes.

"Tonkatsu! ~" she uttered, as a little child on Christmas eve. Ryuuji smiled at the tiny girl in front of him.

"It'll still be another 30 minutes for the food to be ready, so you should go ahead and take a bath. I already had mine. I put out some fresh towels for you." He stated.

Taiga had to keep herself mischievously as she made a joke Ryuuji never thought he would hear her make.

"What a waste," she said, making a pouting face "we could have taken one together!"

Ryuuji backed up and banged his hip into the kitchen counter.

"Ouch..! What are you-" he was blushing like crazy, standing there dumbfounded.

"Only joking, of course." Taiga said, laughing a little. "Silly dog!"

She took off to the bathroom, leaving Ryuuji with a nervous look on his face.

"Phew.." he sighed, looking relieved. He was not prepared for that kind of joke so early on. He turned around and continued preparing the breakfast.

As Taiga walked into the bathroom she looked a little surprised to see that Ryuuji had been in her apartment and gotten her an extra change of clothes. She couldn't help herself from smiling.

As Taiga emerged from the bathroom in a new set of clothes, which were a little more comfy than her black dress, she sat down at the table with a towel wrapped around her head.

"Just in time." Ryuuji smiled as he walked into the room with a plate in each hand. He put them down on each side of the table, one in front of Taiga, and he walked back into the kitchen to get the teapot.

As he walked back into the room with a teapot in one hand and two teacups in the other, he noticed that Taiga was suddenly sitting on his side of the table, having moved her plate over. She sat traditionally on her knees, her hands tightly pressed down on her thighs, and she looked down, embarrassed.

"Taiga?" Ryuuji said, looking at her as he put the teapot and the cups down on the table.

Taiga blushed a little and talked as she still looked down.

"I-I thought that maybe we could sit next to each other now that.. eh-" she broke herself off, not willing to continue. Ryuuji sighed a little and smiled before he sat down next to Taiga.

"In that case, let's dig in." He said, grabbing his chopsticks. Taiga brightened up a little.

"Yes, thanks for the grub!" She said, enthusiastically, digging into the food.

When they were done, Taiga thankfully rubbed her stomach, letting out a big sigh.

"That was delicious." She said, cheerfully. Ryuuji was about to start cleaning up, and he reached for Taiga's teacup, thinking she was done. At the same time, she reached for the cup to take a sip, and their fingers brushed against each other.

They both blushed a little, turning their heads. They blushed even more as their eyes met.

After just staring at each other for a while, Taiga suddenly moved over to Ryuuji and spread her legs over his knees so that she practically sat on his lap, and she hugged him.

"Thanks for always taking such good care of me, Ryuuji." She smiled carefully.

"Nothing to thank me for, really." Ryuuji said as he put his arms around Taiga.

"Of course I have to thank you. If it weren't for you, I'd be leaving off of fast food!" Taiga answered him, a little playfully.

Ryuuji laughed a little at her statement. "Yeah, I guess so."

Taiga snuggled her face into his chest. "But really, Ryuuji. Thank you."

Ryuuji blushed a little as the girl he had recently realized to be so cute, snuggled into him. "You're welcome, Taiga." He said with a gentle voice.

Taiga moved her arms around Ryuuji's neck and placed her chin over his shoulder, resting her face on it.

"So, what should we do today?" Taiga said with a cute voice as she softly planted a kiss on Ryuuji's neck, not knowing that it would make him blush furiously. He finally managed to stutter out some words.

"W-well, I was thinking about going to the s-supermarket, because I wanted to make you and Yasuko a nice d-dinner tonight."

Taiga smiled and hugged Ryuuji tighter. "That sounds good."

**I know this chapter is kind of short, and it doesn't really have a lot of meaning, but considering this is my first fanfic, I want to make this more of a "feel-good" story, not something overly dramatic and serious. This chapter was mostly just to announce that I will continue to work with this story, and I'll probably write some other stories later on. Until next time ~**


	3. Chapter 3

**So, here's chapter 3. I'll probably post chapters very often, if I have inspiration enough to write some. I have a lot of free time, so writing is no ****problem for me. I'd gladly take requests on other stories too ~**

After having dinner together that Saturday, Taiga didn't come over again for the weekend. After being away from Ryuuji for no more than one day, Taiga already felt a little anxious, and she was also nervous about meeting him again.

'_Why am I nervous? I've kissed him several times already, so it shouldn't be scary, should it?' _She blushed by the thought.

It was Monday, and she was getting ready for school. She wouldn't be walking with Ryuuji that day, seeing as he had cleaning duty early in the morning and left before her.

Suddenly, Taiga was a lot more conscious about how she looked before going to school. She made sure her hair didn't look too messy, and that she didn't have any unwanted spots on her face.

She stressed around a little before stopping. _'This is Ryuuji we're thinking about, there's no way he'd care how I looked because..' _Taiga blushed again. _'He's just too kind for those kinds of things.' _

As she started getting close to school, she realized she'd forgotten to bring any lunch. "Damn it.."

"So basically, you didn't return to the party because you were afraid of Taiga catching a cold, is that it?" Kitamura asked Ryuuji just as Taiga walked in.

They had both decided not to tell anyone about their relationship yet, but they weren't sure how long it would take for one of them to break.

Taiga walked into the classroom together with Minori, Taiga feeling a little nervous.

"Oooy, Takasu! ~" Minori stated as she saw Ryuuji. He turned towards her and blushed a little as he saw Taiga.

"O-oh, good morning Kushieda.. Taiga." He said, stuttering a little, and he managed to press out an awkward smile.

Taiga greeted him silently and the two girls walked towards the group to join their conversation. As Taiga approached, Ryuuji's eyes lit up.

"Ah, Taiga." He said as he pulled out a little lunchbox and passed it to her.

"I didn't really count on you fixing one by yourself."

Taiga blushed at his statement. "Stupid dog.." She said, calmly.

As she reached out to grab the lunchbox, their fingers slightly brushed against each other, making Taiga jump a little. Ryuuji blushed.

"Really, what is it with you two?" Ami asked and looked at them with a confused expression written on her face.

They both looked over at Ami quickly and started interrupting each other.

"It's nothi-"

"What are you talking abo-"

They looked back at each other and blushed like crazy once more.

'_Why can't I even look at him without getting embarrassed? Damn it!'_

Suddenly, a thought struck Taiga's mind. Something was missing. Something she had barely gotten used to, which she hadn't gotten yet. She suddenly grabbed onto Ryuuji's sleeve and pulled him out of the classroom, faking a mad voice.

"Come with me for a second, stupid dog!" She said as she pulled him with her. Ryuuji looked confused.

"T-taiga!" He said, wondering what she wanted. Taiga pulled him all the way over to the vending machines and pushed Ryuuji in between the little opening which Ami always sat in.

"What are you doing? Are you trying to murder me or something?" Ryuuji shouted at her. Taiga checked both sides to make sure no one had followed them outside. There was still 10 minutes left until classes begun.

Taiga suddenly blushed a lot. "I just.. I don't want to feel so embarrassed around you, so I thought maybe releasing a little pressure might help.." She said with a low tone to her voice.

"What are you talking about?" Ryuuji said, not fully grasping the situation. Before he could say anything more, Taiga stood on her toes and put her hands on Ryuuji's shoulders as she planted a kiss on his lips.

Ryuuji stepped back, hitting the wall behind him. He blushed, a little surprised, before he put his arms around Taiga. He broke the kiss.

"Isn't it tiresome to always stand like that when kissing me?" He asked her. Before she could say anything, he lifted her up into his arms, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, and her arms around his neck. Ryuuji had his back up against the wall.

Taiga blushed as she looked into his eyes, and he pulled her in for another kiss. She felt that she was a lot more relaxed about their kisses now, as they had kissed a couple of times already.

Also, after kissing Ryuuji the first time, Taiga felt that it was something she needed. Human contact was good once in a while, she thought.

Ryuuji tightened his grip around her a little as Taiga also wrapped her legs tighter around his waist. They both started breathing heavier as they opened their mouths a little more in the kiss.

'_I'm getting carried away.'_ Taiga thought.

'_We really shouldn't be doing this in school.'_ Ryuuji thought.

Even so, they kept kissing each other as if their lives depended on it. After a good 8 minutes, Ryuuji put Taiga back down.

Taiga blushed extremely. "T-t-that should do it, right?" She managed to get out a little smirk. Ryuuji just blushed and smiled a little back. They ran back to their classroom, just making it on time.

When they came back, they both put on a fake, annoyed expression as they got to each their desks. Kitamura turned to Ryuuji just before class started.

"Did you guys have a fight or something?" He asked, sounding a little concerned.

Ryuuji did his best to keep his mask. "Something like that." He said, baldly.

As lunch arrived, as hoped for, Ryuuji and Taiga acted completely normal around one another. Ami still seemed a little suspicious, though.

"You guys are acting weird. I mean it." She said as she glared at Ryuuji and Taiga while they ate their lunch.

Ryuuji looked up at her. "What do you mean?" He asked, managing to suppress the slight nervousness he felt. Ami just shrugged.

"I don't know, something just seems off about you two." She stated.

Minori hadn't said anything about it, nor had she asked any questions about the night of the Christmas party.

"The two of you had a fight, isn't that right, Takasu-kun?" Kitamura asked, wondering.

"As I said.. S-something like that." Ryuuji answered him. Taiga looked at Ryuuji with a slightly weird expression, but she didn't ask any questions.

"Can we just forget about that for now and eat our lunch, please?" Taiga said. They all nodded in agreement.

'_I don't even know why we decided to hide this.' _Both Ryuuji and Taiga thought to themselves. As they ate, Ami still threw them a suspicious glance now and then.

When Taiga had finished her lunch and there was 10 minutes left of lunch break, Taiga stood up. She whispered in Minori's ear that she'd be going to the bathroom, and she intentionally bumped Ryuuji's shoulder on the way out.

Ryuuji waited for one minute before he left too. He went over to the vending machines where he found Taiga standing in the little opening.

"This whole day has just been embarrassing. There's no way we can hide this for long." Taiga said. Ryuuji smiled a little nervously and scratched his hair.

"Yeah, you're right about that.. This is kind of hard." He answered.

"They'll definitely find out by the end of the week. Maybe even by the end of the day," Taiga said "Though there's really no big reason to even hide it."

"Well, we'll see how it goes, and we'll let them know once we feel like it, right?" Ryuuji said back to her.

"Yeah."

"Anyways, we have 5 minutes to get back to class, so maybe we should get going." Ryuuji said and was just about to turn around, when Taiga grabbed his sleeve and looked him in the eyes.

Ryuuji sighed, smiling a little. "Guess I have no choice." He said as he picked Taiga up and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and Ryuuji noticed how much she actually enjoyed these things.

They kissed for a while, and then Taiga went back. Ryuuji waited a minute before he bought himself a drink and returned to the classroom. He was met by Ami's evil smirk as he entered.

The last class was nearing its end, and their teacher tried to get everyone's attention.

"As some of you might know, the teachers will go on a strike tomorrow, so there will be no school for you. I've assigned your homework on the blackboard. I'll just be home, enjoying my single life tomorrow, so you kids try to do something fun, while you're still young and in love." The teacher shrugged.

"Just don't forget your homework. Class dismissed."

As Ryuuji grabbed his bag and walked towards the door, he was approached by Kitamura.

"Yo, Takasu. I've talked with Kawashima-san and Kushieda-san, and we agreed to go to the public pools tomorrow. Why don't you talk with Aisaka, and we could all go?" He smiled.

Ryuuji nodded his head and looked over at Taiga who had already heard what Kitamura had said. She was blushing.

'_I somehow have a feeling that showing myself for Ryuuji in a swimsuit will be a lot more embarrassing now than it was last time.' _

**Sorry about my chapters being a little short, but this is all I can manage at the moment. Yes, I know this fanfic is very straight-forward and happy and everything. I don't feel like adding any drama or like.. "Obstacles to their love" in this one yet. This story is more like a way of testing my abilities, I guess, but I will probably make some serious fanfics sometime too.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here is chapter 4 for you. I honestly feel like the last chapter pulled the characters a little too much out of their true character, but I'll try to straighten that up a little. Today, we're going to a swimming pool, and we all know how Taiga acts towards Ryuuji when there's people around ~**

It was a warm day. Really warm, actually. Ryuuji could already imagine how crowded the pools would be in this heat. In some ways, he wish he could just stay at home with a big fan blowing at his face, but he'd promised Kitamura that he'd come along, and he wanted to keep that promise after all. Ryuuji shrugged as he put the foiled sandwiches into the basket. Of course he would be the one to bring lunch, and the others had probably already predicted that. Ryuuji looked into his basket one last time before closing it. It had foiled sandwiches, rice lunch boxes and beverages. He smiled at his accomplishment.

"Where are those damned cups?" Taiga said to herself as she ran around her apartment. She didn't find the breast cups Ryuuji had made for her, and it made her panic. _'They're probably somewhere at Ryuuji's place,'_ she thought to herself, _'but asking him now would be too awkward.' _She looked around one last time before she gave up. She looked herself in the mirror and stared down towards her chest area in misery. "I'm just a pathetic flat-breasted girl." She said to herself.

She was wearing her swimsuit, with a hoodie lightly hanging over her shoulders. Her hair was fixed in the same buns she had when attending the pool at school. _'What if Ryuuji hates me when he realizes how pathetic I look in a swimsuit without those cups.'_ Taiga thought, pouting at herself. Before she had the time to think anymore, she realized she should get going.

She closed up her hoodie, making sure it would hide her chest area for the time being. She brought a fresh towel, and she walked out of her apartment. She started wandering down the road in her tiny sandals, making tiny clicking noises. It was warm outside.

As she passed Ryuuji's house, Ryuuji came out of the door. He held a basket in his right hand, and he wore green bathing shorts reaching his knees. A blue t-shirt covered his torso, and a towel was hanging over his shoulder. As he looked up, he noticed Taiga. "Good morning!" He shouted as he started walking towards her. As he reached her, she started walking again, and they walked together, mostly in silence. As they reached the pool, they could hear the splashing and screaming from the kids inside. They met a smiling Kitamura at the gates.

"Good morning, you two! Here's your tickets!" He stated as he handed them their tickets and he signaled for them to come with him through the gates.

"Where is everyone?" Ryuuji asked him.

"Oh, they went on ahead and found a spot for us." Kitamura said, a cheerful tone to his voice. As they came to the pool, they gasped a little at how many people there were. After looking around, Ryuuji spotted a waving Minori at the other side of the pool.

"Over there." Ryuuji said as he waved back. He saw Ami sitting down, looking as careless as ever.

"Damn her for wearing such an inviting swimsuit." Taiga said with the usual annoyed tone to her voice. Ryuuji just laughed it off.

"Yeah, yeah, never mind that." He said as he scratched his head. He really didn't want any fights between them today. Taiga looked at him with an almost terrifying look. "Are you going to stare at her, perverted dog?" She asked him, still keeping that scary expression. Ryuuji jumped a little back and started waving his hands.

"N-no way!" He said, desperately trying to convince Taiga to believe him. _'It's actually true, though,'_ Ryuuji thought to himself_, 'I don't need to stare at Ami. I don't even want to.' _He sighed as he finally got Taiga to stop shouting at him, though she still didn't fully believe him. Taiga was easily jealous, but she knew that it was just natural for boys to stare at big busted girls.

'_I still don't like the thought of it, though.' _Taiga thought to herself. _'After all, he is __**my**__ dog.' _

"Yo, Takasu! Taiga! Yusaku! ~" Minori shouted as they reached the two girls. Ryuuji smiled and put down his basket.

"I brought some lunch for everyone." Ryuuji said, seemingly happy with his own effort. Taiga stared at him. "Stop grinning, stupid dog." She said, a little playfully. She didn't act towards him as she would when they were alone. It was too embarrassing. "I'm sure you'll be the smiling idiot once you see the delicious lunch I've prepared." Ryuuji leaned a little forward with his face, showing off an evil smirk.

Taiga shot her head a little forward, smirking back, almost as if it was a contest as to who could look more deceiving. (*)

Ryuuji turned to Ami and gave her a little smile.

"I even made sandwiches especially for you who want to keep your figure." He said, a bit jokingly. Ami smiled back at him, seemingly in a better mood than usual. Taiga stared at Ryuuji, trying to spot the perverted glare in Ryuuji's expression. It wasn't there. But when he turned back to Taiga, he gulped a little, his face flushing slightly with a color of red.

"I even made rice and pork lunch boxes." He said with a smirk. Taiga grinned. "Good dog. They better be good!" She said and pointed at him overdramatically.

"Well, I sure hope so." Ryuuji answered, almost afraid that he would fail them with his lunch boxes.

"Save the lunch for later, everyone. It is time.. to dive! ~" Minori shouted as she threw herself into the water. "I wonder if she even saw the No Diving sign." Ryuuji said, sighing. Suddenly, Kitamura shouted something similar to a battle shout, as he too jumped into the water, Ami following after. Ryuuji smiled and pulled off his t-shirt, ready to jump in. He turned to Taiga, who was standing there with her sweater still on, looking down.

"Taiga, are you coming?" Ryuuji asked with an enthusiastic smile. She stuttered a little.

"I-I-I'll be right with you.. just go ahead." She said, trying to force out a smile. Ryuuji looked at her, a little concerned. "Taiga, is something wrong? You don't look too good." He said trying to put a hand on her shoulder. She brushed it off, taking a step back.

"It's nothing!" She said, sounding almost scared. Ryuuji kept staring at her, refusing to give up. Taiga finally gave out a sigh. "Fine.. I couldn't find the cups you made me.. back then." She said, looking down in embarrassment. Ryuuji had to think for a moment before he realized what she talked about.

"Oh. Taiga, you don't have to care about that. We're just here to have fun, not to show ourselves off, right?" He said, giving her a reassuring smile. She finally gave in. "I guess you're right.. but don't make fun of me, stupid dog!" She said, trying to sound more confident. Ryuuji shook his head.

"I won't." He said. Taiga sighed again and slowly pulled down the zipper of her sweater. Ryuuji turned around and walked to the edge of the pool, looking at the others who were having a water fight in the pool. He turned around and saw Taiga coming towards him with tiny steps. He blushed a little.

"You see? You look even cuter without the cups, you know." He said with a completely honest tone to his voice, sounding slightly surprised. Taiga's face shot up in embarrassment, and her face flushed with a red color. She looked down for a while. "Idiot!" She shouted as she pushed Ryuuji into the pool. "Woah!" He screamed as he lost his balance and fell back first into the water. As his head broke the surface, he threw his hair backwards and raised a fist.

"What the hell are you doing? You could have kill- WAIT!" His eyes shut open as he saw Taiga's mischievous smile. "Here I come!" She shouted as she threw herself into the water next to Ryuuji, sending a wave of water into his face. As he opened his eyes again, he saw Taiga standing there with a slick smile. "Got you." She said, laughing. Ryuuji grinned and splashed water into her face. Just as he did that, he heard a voice behind him.

"The distraction was a success! Assassination, commence!" He felt Kitamura's arms wrapping around his neck. Ryuuji put a hand to his and tried to pull it off. He opened his eyes wide. "NO-GLUB!" His voice was shut off as he was pulled under the water.

Ryuuji started kicking around under water, finally able to tear out of Kitamura's grip. Still under water, he turned towards him and lunged. He grabbed his shoulders and pulled him up to the surface.

"I'll kill you, you cretin!" He shouted with a laugh in his voice. He heard a high-pitched shout from his side, and a tiny girl came crashing into him, pushing him under water. Ryuuji opened his eyes under water and barely managed to make out Taiga's face, grinning evilly at him. She leaned in and planted a quick kiss on his lips, hoping that no one would see. When they came back to the surface, Taiga cheered in victory.

After a while of pointless playing in the water, they got up to have lunch. After taking a bite from a sandwich, Minori opened her eyes widely. "Takasu! This sandwich was made with heart! I truly appreciate such skills! ~" She stated as she kept eating. Ryuuji smiled widely.

"I'm glad you liked it." He said, and he looked around at the others, hoping for response. They all nodded in consent, too much food in their mouths for them to say anything.

'_Success'_, Ryuuji thought to himself. They all enjoyed their lunch in silence. As they were done, Taiga leaned back and patted her stomach gratefully. "Delicious!" She stated, smiling at Ryuuji. Ryuuji smiled back, seemingly happy with the response. "You'd make a great housewife!" Taiga said, playfully. Minori looked over at Taiga and smiled.

"Maybe you would be the perfect husband for him, Taiga! ~" She said with a smirk. Taiga blushed, actually taking the joke seriously. She pulled herself together quickly and looked up. "Huh! Who would marry a stupid dog, anyways?" She said, poking Ryuuji's cheek. Ryuuji laughed nervously and scratched his head.

"Yeah, who would?" He said, trying to laugh off the feeling he had that Taiga was actually serious. Taiga suddenly jumped up and put her arm around Ryuuji's neck from behind.

"He's an adorable little dog though, isn't he?" She said playfully as she ruffled his hair. They all laughed cheerfully at how playful Taiga was, and Ryuuji couldn't help but laugh with them, though blushing a little.

When they felt tired enough, they all decided to go home. The rest had already left, and Taiga and Ryuuji was walking home together, Taiga's sweater lightly hanging over her shoulders. "Ryuuji.. I'm exhausted." She said, looking at the ground. Ryuuji suddenly stopped and waved for her to come over. She looked at him, a little confused.

"Board the ship." He said with a playful smile. Taiga looked a little embarrassed, but then she jumped up on his back, putting her legs around his hips. He took a firm grip on her legs, making sure she wouldn't fall off.

Taiga put her chin on his shoulder, resting. "I really did mean it, Ryuuji. I would never marry a dog." She said with a calm voice. Ryuuji shrugged and let out a little "Heh.." Taiga suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck as he kept walking. "But you're not just my dog. You're my faithful dragon, right?" She said with a gentle smile on her lips. Ryuuji looked a little surprised.

"Taiga.." He said, looking down as he walked. She snuggled her face into his shoulder playfully. "You told me that the dragon and the tiger were equal," she said, "so that means we'll be together forever, right? Even without a marriage vow." Ryuuji couldn't help himself from smiling. "Yeah. You're right. Maybe we'll even get married." He said with a playful grin on his face. Taiga smiled.

"Maybe we will. I wouldn't mind." She said. There was a long silence between them, and Taiga decided to break it. "What are you thinking about now, perverted dog?" She asked, and bit his neck jokingly. Ryuuji blushed.

"Nothing in particular, I guess." He answered, trying to stay calm. As they arrived outside Ryuuji's house, Ryuuji put Taiga back down. "See you." He said, smiling gently. He suddenly felt embarrassed about kissing Taiga, so he didn't make a move. Neither did she.

"Yeah, see you." Taiga smiled back and turned to walk back to her apartment. Ryuuji walked into his house and realized that Yasuko had already went to work.

"It's good that I prepared dinner for her this morning, or else I'd be in trouble." He said to himself as he walked in to find a new change of clothes before taking a shower. Just as he walked out of the shower with a baggy pair of pajama pants on, and a pajama shirt, he heard someone knock on the door. Wondering who it could be, he opened the door. In front of him stood a petite little girl with ruffled hair, wearing pajamas. Ryuuji looked at her, a little confused. "Taiga?" He asked. She smiled slickly and held up a bag. "I knew that Yasuko was working tonight, so I thought I'd keep you company. I brought snacks and movies." She said with a cute tone to her voice.

Ryuuji blushed a little as Taiga invited herself in and closed the door behind her. She walked straight into the living room and sat down on the tatami mats. Ryuuji locked the door and walked in after her. "This isn't really like you." He said, still a little confused. Taiga smiled playfully at him.

"Well, I'm your girlfriend now, am I not? I thought it was only natural for couples to have sleepovers with games and movies!" she stated. Ryuuji smiled a little, not saying any more. "Even so.." Taiga said and patted the floor in front of her, inviting Ryuuji to sit. He walked over, sitting down on his knees as he looked at Taiga. Taiga leaned forwards and wrapped her arms around his neck, slipping one leg over each of his. "Even so.. I barely got to be close to you like this today." She said calmly as she leaned in and kissed Ryuuji.

Ryuuji smiled shyly in the kiss and he wrapped his arms around her. After a while, Ryuuji had ended up sitting up towards the wall, his legs straightened out. Taiga sat over him, her legs spread over his. "You should be proud that you were the one to take my first kiss, you know." Taiga said playfully, her arms around Ryuuji's neck.

Ryuuji smiled gently at her. "I am. I am very proud." He said.

"You'd probably enjoy this a lot more with the Stupid Chihuahua, though." Taiga said with slight seriousness in her voice. "No way," Ryuuji said, "You are honestly the cutest, most beautiful girl I know of. Silly." He said with a smile on his face. He kissed her again. Their kisses had gotten more intense now, their tongues almost fighting between them. Taiga pulled a little back again and said, almost hopelessly.

"Why do I love kissing you so much?"

Ryuuji was almost panting after the kiss, his warm breath hitting Taiga's face. "I don't know.. It's just how it is." He said. Taiga closed her eyes and kissed him again. She didn't want to stop.

'_As long as I can kiss Ryuuji, I'm happy.' _ She thought to herself, hoping this would last forever. She pushed herself closer to him, her hips almost rocking towards his thighs with passion. (**)

They kept kissing each other intensely, their tongues intertwining in their mouths, their breaths growing ragged over time. There were no movies or video games that night.

**And so, that chapter was done. I am actually pretty pleased with this chapter, at least compared to the last one. I'd love to get some more reviews, and I will listen carefully to advice and requests.**

*** = Watch the second opening to Toradora, in the end where Ryuuji gives Taiga a lunchbox. That's what I pictured when I wrote this.**

**** = If you were wondering, no, this is not a lemon scene. They are still wearing their pajamas, and they are just kissing.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I think I'm having writers block, but I'll try to write whatever comes to mind. I already have a pretty good idea of how this chapter is going to be, I'm just having trouble putting it into words. Here we go ~**

Ryuuji walked forwards with small steps, his school bag hanging daftly over his shoulder. He looked down at the ground, dark lines under his eyes. Suddenly, something bumped into his arm, and he barely turned his head to look at Taiga who was leaning her head onto him as she walked. She also had dark lines under her eyes. "Damn that Kitamura-kun.." She said with deep tiredness in her voice. Ryuuji nodded, agreeing with her. "I mean, we can't really blame him, but he's the first one that comes to mind.." He said.

_Taiga widened her eyes, a little surprised by the loud ringing from the phone. "What time is it?" Ryuuji had asked, looking a little confused. Taiga had looked at the watch on the wall. "It's.. 6 am. Who would call at this hour?" She said, rubbing her eyes. "Even so, how come we could have kissed for this long without even noticing how late.. ehrm, early it was?" She asked, looking at Ryuuji. Just as Ryuuji was about to say something, Taiga got up from his lap and grabbed the phone._

"_T-t-takasu Residence." Taiga said with a tired voice. A surprised, but energetic Kitamura said from the other side._

"_Good morning! Wait, is that you, Aisaka? Are you at Takasu's place? Does that mean you've heard?" He asked her._

"_No, it's.. wait, heard what?" She asked him, sounding slightly confused._

"_The strike has been lifted, so we're supposed to go to school today!" Kitamura answered, still with an energetic tone to his voice. Taiga widened her eyes._

"_W-w-wha.. Damn!" She shouted as she hung up and turned to Ryuuji._

"_Ryuuji, we've screwed up!" She said, looking nervous. Ryuuji gave her a confused look. "We have to go to school!"_

"Come to think of it though, I could almost blame you a little, too." Taiga said, her voice still droopy with tiredness. Ryuuji was too tired to even sound annoyed.

"What are you talking about? How is this my fault?" He asked, not bothering to push Taiga's face away from his arm. She kept talking with a low voice.

"Well, you had such inviting lips, so I couldn't really keep myself from kissing them all the time." There wasn't a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Ryuuji barely managed to shake his head.

"You weren't the only one who enjoyed it, though, so it's not all my fault." He said, his eyes drooping. Taiga sighed.

"Yeah, yeah.."

Ryuuji got down by his desk, instantly slamming his head onto it.

"I'm going to die." He said, his voice muffled by his desk. He heard a confused voice behind him, coming from Kitamura.

"What's wrong, Takasu-kun? You seem to be in the same state as Aisaka is in." He said, sitting down next to Ryuuji. Ryuuji just groaned, not bothering to lift his head from the desk. Kitamura started scratching his chin, thinking. He suddenly seemed to realize something.

"And Taiga was also the one who picked up the phone at your place! Don't tell me you guys weren't prepared for school to start, so you stayed up all night playing video games or something?" He asked with a teasing smile. Ryuuji groaned again.

"Hahah.. you got me.. I surrender." He said, his face still planted into his desk. Kitamura gritted his teeth and laughed a little at Ryuuji before he got back to his desk. As lunch break arrived, Ryuuji and Taiga looked just as tired as before. As they sat down to eat, the others gave them weird looks.

"This can't be.." Minori said, a shocked look on her face. Was she onto them? "Takasu-kun.. You of all people.. forgot to bring lunch?" She continued after noticing the fact that Ryuuji and Taiga wasn't eating anything. Ryuuji sighed a little in relief.

"Yeah.. I was too tired to remember." He said, his head hanging. Taiga sat right next to him, looking just as tired as him. Her head dropped, and fell onto Ryuuji's shoulder. She snuggled into it as she was almost about to fall asleep.

"You guys seem to have gotten a lot closer lately." Ami said, looking at the two of them. Taiga didn't seem to mind that she was maybe revealing them a little.

"Right now.. I couldn't care less." She said with a monotone voice. "I just want to sleep right now." She continued. "If it hadn't been for Ryuu-.. If it hadn't been for Kitamura-kun telling us about school, we could have skipped it by accident, not having to feel so guilty." She finished, closing her eyes. Ami gave out a sigh, and leaned in to whisper something in Minori's ear. She widened her eyes.

"Ami-tan! That might be true! If it is.. I need to know!" Minori stated, looking overly enthusiastic. She glared at Ryuuji with interest. He looked back at her, with terror in his eyes.

"W-what are you looking at?" He asked. Minori kept glaring at him, almost as if she knew all of his dirty secrets. Ryuuji looked scared, literally. "S-stop staring at me like that, please." He continued. Minori grinned.

"I guess I'll have to interrogate you two once you're not that tired anymore." She said, looking as happy as ever. Ryuuji sighed a little before he let his head fall to the side, resting on top of Taiga's already sleeping head.

As classes started again, Ryuuji did his best to look as awake as possible. Halfway into their science class, a note landed on Ryuuji's desk. He could easily recognize the writing, and it was almost as if the voice of the writer played back in his head.

"Takasu-kun! Of course, I completely accept what you two have, but let me give you one warning! ~ If you ever ~ Hurt her ~ I will ~ Kick you! ~" As he read it, he felt as confused as one could be. He turned to Minori and saw her grinning at him.

'_Geez, that girl..'_ He thought to himself before turning back to his book. _'It seems like she knows.. does that mean everyone does? I hope not.'_

Ryuuji sighed gratefully as the school bells rang. He packed his books into his bag and stood up. As he turned to walk, he noticed Taiga sleeping on her desk. He walked over to her and tried shaking her a little.

"Hey, Taiga." He said, but she didn't move. She just mumbled something, and she seemed to be in deep sleep. Ryuuji sighed and rubbed his temples before he pulled her chair out carefully and lifted her onto his back.

"You're even more tired than me, aren't you?" He asked a little jokingly. He picked up her bag in his free hand and left the classroom. Minori, Ami and Yusaku was waiting for them outside of the classroom. They all gave Ryuuji a weird look as he came out with Taiga on his back.

"She passed out." He said, not stopping. They all followed him as he made his way out of the classroom. "Geez, what a troublesome day." He said to himself in a monotone voice. They walked a while in complete silence.

"Why are you guys so tired anyways?" Ami asked, not sounding like she cared too much. Just as Ryuuji was about to talk, he was cut off by Yusaku.

"They stayed up all night playing video games!" He said with a playful tone to his voice.

"Video games, huh?" Ami said with a grin. She looked over at Ryuuji, and he quickly retracted his eyes looking slightly embarrassed. He grabbed his fringe with his free hand and twirled it nervously.

"Y-yeah, Yasuko was working all night, so we decided to get together and play some games.." He said, trying to sound as convincing as possible. Ami just sighed and fixed her eyes back on the road.

"Anyways, I'm going this way," she pointed to the left, "see you later." She said as she left. After a while, everyone had parted ways and went to their homes. Ryuuji walked up the stairs to his house, Taiga still hanging over his back. He opened the door and put Taiga down. She was still sleeping. Ryuuji sat her down and removed her shoes slowly.

"Silly little tiger.." He said with a smile on his mouth. He walked into his bedroom and put Taiga down on the futon. He looked at her face for a little while, noticing how much she actually looked like a beautiful doll while sleeping. He smiled a little.

Just as he was about to put the blankets over Taiga and leave the room, she unconsciously grabbed onto Ryuuji's sleeve. He sighed, trying to pull his arm away. She tightened her grip, making him fall onto the futon. He landed on his side, looking right into Taiga's face. She wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled her face into his chest. Ryuuji sighed.

"Oh well.. It's not like I didn't need sleep myself." He said as he pulled the blankets over them and wrapped his arms around the tiny tiger in front of him.

**There you go, chapter 5. There wasn't a lot of story progress in this one, this was more like an empty chapter, but I guess it doesn't matter too much.. (I hope). Anyways, I'm still working on finding out how to get the optimal line spacing, which I'm still failing miserably at, but I'm trying.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I am having a really hard time finding inspiration to write right now. I have no idea what this chapter is supposed to be about, but I'll just let my hands type and we'll see where it ends up.**

Ryuuji woke up as a sunbeam slightly struck his eye from a crack in the curtains. He grumbled as he rubbed his eyes.

As he tried to turn around, he felt something holding him back. He opened his eyes and smiled brightly as he saw Taiga, still fast asleep, clinging into him.

He checked the time. "7, huh? We slept since yesterday.." He said to himself as he stroke Taiga's hair away from her forehead.

"Taiga, we have to go to school, wake up." He said with a gentle voice as he lightly put a kiss to Taiga's forehead. Taiga pouted as she opened her eyes.

"But, I want to hug you more, Ryuuji." She said, looking up at him with tired eyes. Ryuuji sighed a little.

"Yeah, yeah, but we really have to get to school. I'll make you some nice breakfast, and we can eat together, how does that sound?"

Taiga smiled at him and nodded her head. Ryuuji smiled back as he quickly pushed his lips against hers, before standing up.

Taiga stretched her arms and yawned as she got up from the futon. Ryuuji looked down at his clothes.

"We fell asleep in our school uniforms.. I should iron them, so.. well, I don't think we have any clothes in your size, so you should probably go get some from your apartment."

Ryuuji looked at her as he talked. Taiga looked at him for a while before nodding. She walked into the hallway, put on here shoes and left.

Ryuuji sighed a little. "She'll probably take forever. I bet I can iron my uniform _and _prepare breakfast before she's back." He said to himself.

He started off by ironing his pants, before he put them back on. He got into the kitchen and started working on breakfast.

As he had started cooking the food, he knew that he would have to let it cook for a while.

"I could iron my shirt and jacket in the meantime.." Ryuuji said to himself as he went to the ironing board in the living room.

He pulled off his jacket and shirt and started ironing them both, standing in a bare upper body.

"As I thought, she's taking long.. It's not that bad, actually, it gives me time to maybe surprise her with a nice breakfast." He said to himself.

Just as he dragged the iron carefully over the sleeve of his shirt, he heard sizzling from the kitchen.

"The vegetables!" Ryuuji put the iron down and ran into the kitchen, barely managing to save the vegetables before anything happened.

"Phew.." He sighed as he put the vegetables aside, declaring breakfast for finished. Just as he smiled at the meal he'd made, he heard a clicking sound by the door.

Ryuuji turned to the noise and saw Taiga standing in the opening with her uniform in her hands, wearing a plain dress. She walked in, taking off her shoes.

"I'm back." She said as she walked in and looked up at Ryuuji, suddenly freezing. "Ryuu-" She suddenly blushed like crazy, dropping her clothes to the floor.

Ryuuji looked at her, confused. He just kept the stare for a while before looking down at his bare torso.

"Oh.. OH!" Ryuuji blushed as he took a step back. Taiga closed her eyes.

"W-w-what are you? Some kind of p-p-pervert flasher?" She shouted at him, her face flushed with a red color.

Ryuuji ran into the living room, clearing himself from Taiga's view. He talked loudly from the living room.

"S-sorry, I was ironing my shirt, and-" He was interrupted by a door slamming open behind him.

Ryuuji turned around and met Yasuko's furious expression. "Loud.." She said, a murderous intent in her eyes.

Ryuuji widened his eyes. "S-sorry Yasuko, we'll be quiet!" He said, looking a little embarrassed. Taiga walked in, her fist raised.

"Perverted dog! Ah, Ya-chan." She said, looking more calm as she saw Yasuko. Yasuko suddenly calmed down and looked from Taiga to Ryuuji, back and forth, before..

Before looking down at Ryuuji's bare torso. She looked surprised. "Ryuu-chan! Isn't it a little early in the morning for those kinds of things? Even so, your mom is in the house, you know!"

She talked to them both in a flustered voice. Ryuuji and Taiga looked at her confused for a moment, before lighting up.

"N-no, you're-"

"What the hell are you-"

They shouted at the same time, looking extremely embarrassed. Ryuuji broke Taiga off again.

"Yasuko! Don't go around and misinterpret things! I was ironing my shirt!" He shouted, flustered.

Yasuko suddenly laughed a little nervously. "O-oh.. sorry, Ryuu-chan.. then, I'll go back to sleep." She said with a sleepy voice, obviously having a hangover.

Ryuuji sighed. "I'll leave breakfast in the freezer." He said as he turned to pick up his shirt, Taiga still looking embarrassed.

"Mh, thank you, Ryuu-chan." Yasuko said before she closed the door to her room. Ryuuji sighed.

"Geez.." He said as he pulled on his shirt. He felt embarrassed. "Breakfast's ready, so sit down." He said, trying to hide his flushed face.

Taiga nodded silently and sat down while Ryuuji walked into the kitchen and brought back out some plates with food.

"Here you go." He said as he sat down opposite of Taiga. Taiga looked at him with slightly annoyed eyes.

Ryuuji looks to the side. "What? As I said, I was only ironing my shirt, I didn't try to.." Taiga interrupts him.

"I wanted to sit next to you." She said with a monotone voice. Ryuuji smiled hesitantly.

"O-oh.. Well, come here then." He said with a slight smile on his face, patting the floor next to him. Taiga smiled a little and sat down next to him.

"You always make such an impressive breakfast. Well, impressive for a dog, that is." Taiga said with a hint of playfulness in her voice.

Ryuuji blushed slightly at her statement, before deciding to play along with a pout on his face.

"Well, I have to do my best for Her Highness." He said with a monotone voice. Taiga smiled and rubbed her head into his shoulder.

"Good dog." She said with a cheerful smile. Ryuuji laughed a little as he ate his food, sitting a bit closer to Taiga. After finishing, Ryuuji quickly stood up.

"I should iron your uniform, we only have an hour until classes begin." Ryuuji said as he grabbed the pile of clothes Taiga had dropped on the floor and took them to the ironing board.

After properly ironing her uniform, he handed it to Taiga and signaled for her to go the bathroom and change. She nodded her head and did as told.

As she came back, she was greeted by Ryuuji holding out a lunchbox for her. She smiled sheepishly at him and grabbed the lunch box, before they both put on their shoes and went to school.

While getting closer to the gates, they heard a familiar voice shouting. Ryuuji looked up to see the redhead waving at them.

"Oooy, Taiga, Takasu! ~" Minori shouted with the usual enthusiasm to her voice.

Taiga smiled and ran up to her, hugging into her chest. "Minorin!" She shouted with a cute sounding voice, Minori smiling at her, patting her head.

"Oh, oh, oh, Taiga, such a good Taiga." She said with a joking voice, as if Taiga was a dog. Taiga looked up at her with a smile, before moving away from her again.

"Did you get enough sleep tonight, Taiga?" Minori said with a serious sounding voice, but Ryuuji could hear the usual Minori underneath it. Taiga nodded.

"Yeah, I feel asleep next to R-R-R-RURU." She suddenly shouted, her face flushed red. "Ruru is my new plush, you see!"

Minori looked at her a little confused, before smiling. "Haaau ~ I can picture you snuggling up with a plush, Taiga, you cute little thing!" She shouted playfully.

Ryuuji sighed at Minori's density and overly joyed behavior. _'You nearly screwed up, Taiga.' _Ryuuji thought to himself.

'_Wait, she already knew, didn't she? That's right.' _Ryuuji rubbed his temples as he walked with the two girls into the school building.

As they entered the classroom, they greeted their friends before sitting down by their desks. That last thing Minori had whispered into Ryuuji's ear before he sat down was making him nervous.

"_I'm going to ask you and Taiga a lot of questions in lunch break, so be prepared."_

Ryuuji shrugged_. 'Why does she make everything so scary?'_ He thought to himself, _'Well, she is in fact pretty scary at times.'_ He shrugged again.

Ryuuji braced himself for the upcoming classes and managed to survive until lunch. He looked at all the notes he had taken.

'_Man, there's so much to remember.'_ He thought to himself, shrugging the thought off.

Ryuuji was waved over by a smiling Minori. He walked over to their table and sat down, greeting Kitamura and Ami. Kitamura looked up at him.

"Hey, Takasu. Exams are coming up in a couple of months, right? We should get together and use the President's notes to study." He said with a cheerful look.

Ryuuji looked a little confused at first, but then he remembered. "Oh, that's true, I won those in that race, didn't I?" He said, sounding slightly energetic.

"Yup," Kitamura smiled, "It'd be better if we all worked together."

Ami shrugged. "Studying in groups? Sounds a little stressful to me.." She said, seeming a little displeased.

Kitamura laughed. "Well, Kawashima-san, I'm sure you'd have great use of those notes, am I right?" He asked.

Ami glared at him with sharp eyes before shrugging again. "Yeah, yeah, I guess you're pretty right about that." Ryuuji could sense a smile in her voice.

As they chatted for a while, Minori suddenly hit her hand onto the table. They all looked at her, startled.

"Now, everyone.. I shall ask some questions which I'm sure several of us here wants to know the answers to! ~" Minori talked with a mysterious, energetic as always, voice.

Ryuuji looked at her with the same eyes as Taiga; nervousness. Kitamura and Ami nodded, their eyes closed, as if they silently agreed.

"Very well," Minori continued, "I think we have all been wondering why two people in our group have been acting so suspicious lately." She still talked with a mysterious voice.

Taiga and Ryuuji looked even more nervous by now. _'This is it. There's no more hiding it.'_ They both thought, glaring at each other.

Minori stroke her hair back with dramatic movements. "You two," she pointed at Taiga and Ryuuji, "are the culprits."

Ryuuji widened his eyes, gritting his teeth. "W-w-wha.." He was nervous. Extremely nervous.

Minori glared at him. "You two.. have been acting suspicious. And I don't think I'm the only one who believes so." She continued.

Her voice was still bearing the same tone of 'Minori' as always, making it obvious that she wasn't very serious, or angry. _'She's just Minori'_ Ryuuji thought.

Taiga didn't say a word. She just stared at Ryuuji, as if internally screaming _'HELP!' _Ryuuji sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"What are you talking about, Kushieda-san?" He asked, sounding as innocent as possible. _'Why am I afraid of telling the truth? I should be proud of being Taiga's boyfriend. I AM proud.'_

Minori smiled at him. "You two seem a lot closer, somehow. And I've heard rumors that Taiga has.. stayed over." She talked with a wide grin.

Ryuuji tried to hide a blush. "W-well, I do make food for her, and Y-yasuko likes having her over, so.." He stuttered.

Minori glared at him. "Are you sure about that, Takasu-kun? ~" She asked. Kitamura and Ami looked properly amused by this questioning session.

Ryuuji was about to open his mouth when Taiga suddenly stood up from her chair with a slightly annoyed expression.

"Geez.." She said as she walked over to Ryuuji, turned her back to him and sat down on the open spot on the chair, between Ryuuji's legs.

"So what if we're a little closer to each other? I'm always hugging you, Minorin, so I don't see the problem with being close to my other friends, too." She continued.

"T-Taiga.." Ryuuji said, a little surprised. Minori grinned. "Oh, but Taiga, that's not it. To me, it seems like much more ~" She said, "But I'm in no way having a problem with.. whatever it is." She continued.

"My point is.. I'm curious! ~" She grinned, flashing her fingers in a peace sign. Taiga sighed. She suddenly felt her heart beat a lot faster.

'_Should I really do this?'_ She asked herself internally. Her pulse shot through the roof. "Minorin, if you're really that curious, I guess there's no helping it." Taiga sad with a sigh.

Ryuuji looked at Taiga's back, a little confused. The others also glared at her, wondering what she was about to say.

But Taiga didn't say anything. She was completely quiet as she slightly twisted her shoulder, reaching her arm back.

She was completely quiet as she turned her head around, slightly twisting her body. She was completely quiet as she put an arm on Ryuuji's shoulder.

She was completely quiet as she closed her eyes and kissed him deeply.

She was completely quiet as Ryuuji blushed, and as the other ones stared at them in complete shock.

"EEEEH?"

**There.. Done with that chapter. Honestly, I just wrote away, not having any real plans for how it would be. And, the last part just suddenly popped into my mind.. I wasn't prepared to make that happen yet, but I felt that this chapter was too boring, too odd, too meaningless, so I added that part to.. spice things up a little bit. And I also left it with a little cliffhanger, which I never knew I would do, even if it was just a small one. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it, even though I kind of.. didn't. .**

**Until next chapter, I hope you enjoy this story, and I'd be happy if you left me feedback. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and favorited my story so far. :3**


	7. Chapter 7

**I wasn't too happy about the last chapter I wrote, but it seems that you guys did, so I'll just keep writing.  
I really feel like writing now too, since I'm kind of exhausted after playing Paintball all day, so this might make me relax a little.  
What I do when I write chapters is basically, I just start typing what I feel it should begin with, and then once my fantasy is able to do the rest, I just let myself go, and my fantasy takes over my head and expresses itself through my fingers, so my writing often reflects what just randomly appears in my head.  
So, I hope you'll enjoy what randomness might be written down today. :3**

"EEEEEH?" Ami and Kitamura looked shocked. Ami's eyebrows twisted frantically, and Kitamura just glared at them surprised. Minori's face was blank, not showing off any emotion anymore.

Taiga pulled back from Ryuuji, looking slightly embarrassed.  
Before turning around, she started talking before Ryuuji could say anything.  
"There. I guess your questions should be answered." Taiga smiled cutely.

She turned around to look at Minori, suddenly surprised by her expression.  
Her face was completely still, and she didn't say a word. Taiga shivered.  
"M-Minorin?" She asked confused. Minori's lips started to quiver slightly.

Taiga suddenly looked a little sad. _'That's right.. maybe she really did like Ryuuji. This must really make me a bad person.'_

Taiga didn't have the time to think anymore before Minori bursted.  
Her lips pulled themselves upwards over her cheeks, displaying the most  
energetic smile they could ever imagine.

"For the power of love, FIGHT!" She stated with a big smile across her face.  
Ryuuji shrugged. _'Way to keep it quiet.' _He looked around, only to see the entire class staring at them. Ryuuji smiled a stupid smile.

"N-never mind us, she just got a little too much sugar, hahaha.." Ryuuji looked very nervous. The class just shrugged and turned back to their conversations.  
Ryuuji then turned to Taiga.

"Taiga, really.. You shouldn't have-" He was interrupted by Taiga's smile.  
"I was tired of hiding it, stupid dog." She said, looking up at him from his lap.

Ryuuji shrugged. "Even so, isn't it a bad thing to show affection in school? I mean-" He was interrupted again, this time by Kitamura's enthusiastic voice.  
"Why, Takasu? Don't you want to brag about having a girlfriend? I'm sure it would surprise everyone, so you should be proud, shouldn't you?" He ended it with a loud laugh.

Ryuuji sighed when everyone looked back at them, before turning back.  
"Well, of course I'm proud, but.." He didn't know what to say at this point, so he gave up.

They all turned back to Minori, not noticing to begin with the fact that she had been talking with herself with a rash voice about how cute Ryuuji and Taiga was.

"And then they'd stand under the mistletoe Taiga would be wearing a super cute dress, and-" She looked up with a red flushed face as Taiga spoke.

"Minorin! Stop embarrassing me!" She said loudly, gritting her teeth.  
Minori looked at her.  
"Only if you make me your maid of honor, no wait, if I wore my bald cap, I could look really cool and be your best man, and then-"

"Minorin!" Taiga shouted a little as she looked up at her with an embarrassed look. "You don't have to make such a big fuss about this, it's not a big deal."  
She suddenly felt an unpleasant feeling in her chest, but she brushed it off.

Minorin looked shocked and started shaking Taiga by her shoulders.  
"Don't say that, Taiga! You have found love, and it must be celebrated! ~" She was still talking loudly, sounding almost a little too happy.

Taiga shrugged. _'Silly Minorin.' _She turned back and looked at Ryuuji.  
"Anyways, I want a drink before classes start." She said, looking expectedly at him.

For some reason, Ami and Kitamura glared at him as if awaiting something big. Ryuuji furrowed his brow. "Yes?" He asked. Taiga looked at him with big eyes.

Ryuuji sighed. "You're coming with me," he said as he picked her up, holding his arms under her thighs, wrapping them around his back.

"You're such a baby." He said with a slight smile on his face as he left the classroom with Taiga hanging onto him.

"SO.." Minori stared at the door before she turned back to Ami and Kitamura. "CUTE!" She shouted at them. They both arched a little backwards, almost scared by Minori's statement.

"Geez, calm down, loudmouth." Ami said, shrugging. Minori just smiled at her, continuing her rant.

Ryuuji put Taiga down in front of the vending machine and leaned in between the two machines. He sighed.

"So noisy.." He said, looking up at the ceiling, his back leaned towards the wall.  
Taiga suddenly started clinging onto him, holding her arms around him.  
"Even so, their reaction was a lot different than I'd expected.. The stupid Chihuahua and Kitamura barely said anything at all, and Minorin sounded so happy."

Ryuuji looked down at her, a little confused. "Well, Kushieda-san is always happy, isn't she?" He asked. Taiga looked down a little.

"But I'm pretty sure she liked you.. a lot." Taiga said, looking almost a little sad.  
Ryuuji smiled gently at her.

"Stupid.. She wants to support her friend, no matter what, and you should be thankful for that. I think Kushieda-san is more the kind of person who.." Ryuuji thought for a little while before continuing.

"The kind of person who doesn't want her happiness to depend on anyone but herself. She seems like that kind of an independent person, so that would be my guess."

Taiga looked at him, slightly surprised, before smiling gently at him.  
"But when you say things like that, I guess I can't really think too much about Minori liking you. I just want you all to myself."

Ryuuji sighed at her. "You greedy little tiger." He said as he wrapped his arms around her. Taiga stood up on her toes and pressed her lips against Ryuuji's. They stood there for a while, kissing each other deeply.

Without them noticing, Minori came quietly skipping around the corner to tell them that classes were about to start. All she could see was Taiga standing on her toes, pressed up against someone between the vending machines.

Minori opened her eyes widely, looking at the two.  
Taiga and Ryuuji broke the kiss in great embarrassment as they heard the sound of feet clattering away around the corner, an enthusiastic voice shouting.

"Taiga and Ryuuji, sitting in a tree! Wahaha ~"

**Seriously, just smack me. I hate everything I've written in this chapter. I feel like I'm disappointing you guys. D:**

**I'm trying my best, but it just doesn't seem to come out the way I wanted it.**

**And yes, this fanfic is moving forwards pretty slowly by each chapter, but I have time to write a chapter ever second day or so, so I will update it pretty often.**

**Honestly though, I just seem to be more and more disappointed with every chapter. I'll probably end up writing extreme amounts of cute fluff just to brush away the feeling of disappointment. .**

**So, for those who likes fluff, the next chapter or the chapter after that will probably be very, very fluffy. :3**


	8. Chapter 8

**I probably mentioned this earlier, but I really didn't like the last chapter.  
I didn't even get any reviews, so I already know it must have been bad.  
So, although this might not make it any better for everyone, I need to compensate by writing some fluff.  
Good old fluff. So yeah, this chapter is not to move the story forward this is just.. Fluff.**

Ryuuji yawned and stretched one arm in the air, the other one stirring around in the pan. Tiny sunbeams came through the windows and put a mellow warmth on Ryuuji's back.

It was good to know that springtime was coming, Ryuuji thought.  
He was in a good mood today, and he mostly blamed the weather, but somehow he felt there was something else too.  
_'Never mind that,'_ Ryuuji thought to himself, humming to a known tune.

He put the finished breakfast on plates on the table, and wrapped the last portion down and put it in the freezer with Yasuko's name on it. Ryuuji walked over to the veranda and used a broom to knock on Taiga's window.

"Oy, Taiga, breakfast's ready! Come over!" He said loudly, trying to make sure she would hear him.  
While Ryuuji waited, he decided to finish preparing his bag for school.  
After a good ten minutes, Ryuuji checked his watch and sighed.

"That girl.. at this rate, we'll be late." He said to himself. He slipped on his shoes and hurriedly walked out the door and into the slightly cold spring morning.  
The air was light, and it had a certain smell to it that Ryuuji couldn't really put his finger on.

He walked over to Taiga's apartment building and up the stairs. He knocked the door, but got no answer.

"Did she fall back asleep..?" Ryuuji asked himself. He tried to push the door, and it opened. He sighed.  
As he walked in, he couldn't hear a sound. It was quiet. Ryuuji suddenly felt a little worried.

He ran to Taiga's room, hurriedly swinging the door open. He looked over to the bed, and sure enough, there she was.  
Ryuuji sighed a little playfully before he walked over to the bed and put his hand on Taiga's shoulder.

"Hey, Taiga, get u-" he stopped midsentence. He opened his eyes in surprise when he saw Taiga's red face, droplets of sweat running down. He quickly put his hand to her forehead.

"You have a fever.." He said, carefully. Taiga opened her eyes.  
"O-oh, sorry, Ryuuji.. I'll get up at once." She said with a weak voice.  
Ryuuji glared at her.

"Get up? What are you talking about?" He looked at her with slight despair.  
"I don't want to be a nuisance to you, so I shouldn't drag you down like this." Taiga said.

Ryuuji just shook his head and pressed at her shoulders firmly, but still carefully. Almost as if he was afraid to damage her petite body just by touching her.  
"You're staying in bed. I'll make sure you're taken care of." Ryuuji said, strictly.

Taiga sighed and let her head drop back on her pillow. She was panting heavily from her fever.

"T-then, you should head to school.. unless you want to be late." Taiga said, forcing a smile. Ryuuji looked at her, dumbfounded.  
"No way. I'm staying here, there's no way I'm leaving you alone like this." He said, looking into her eyes.

Before Taiga could protest, Ryuuji had picked up his cellphone and started typing a message, probably to Kitamura.  
Ryuuji stood up and opened the window.

"You're burning up, so you should get some fresh air." He said as he headed out of the room. Minutes later he returned with a bucket of cold water, a towel and some fever medicine.

"Here," he said as he handed her a pill and a glass of water. He supported her back as she sat up to swallow the medicine.  
"T-thanks." She said as she laid back down.

Ryuuji looked at her with a worried face before he drenched the towel in cold water and wrung it out over the bucket. He folded it and wiped Taiga's face with it.

"Geez, you're sweating all over." He said. Taiga forced on a small grin, teasingly. Ryuuji shrugged and started wiping the sweat of her neck and exposed arms.

After he was done, he carefully put Taiga back down on the bed. He put a thin blanket over her.  
"Try to get some sleep, ok?" He said with a gentle voice. Taiga only nodded shakily and closed her eyes. In not long, she was sleeping.

…

It was already sunset. The room was bathed in an orange light coming through the curtains, hitting Ryuuji's sleeping face.  
He was sitting with his back towards the side of the bed, one knee under his chest, the other leg straightened out on the floor.

His head hung slightly downwards, and he had a calm expression on his face.  
He could sense something in his dream, something soft brushing against his arm, and then a warm feeling on his lips.

Ryuuji opened his eyes, only to see Taiga sitting on her knees over his legs, her lips gently pushed towards his. He pulled back, a little surprised, and she smiled at him.

"There's no helping it.. I felt so bad about being a nuisance, but when I woke up, you were by my side, and my chest tightened." Taiga said with a soft, almost sad voice.

Ryuuji looked at her with big eyes. "Taiga.." He said.  
"I love you, Ryuuji." She said, leaning closer onto him, holding her hands on his shoulders.

"I really do." She said again, right before leaning in and kissing Ryuuji with an open mouth.  
Ryuuji hesitantly leaned into the kiss, and he slowly wrapped his arms around Taiga's shoulders, pulling her closer to him.

Their heads moved back and forth, their tongues fighting for dominance before Ryuuji pulled back, his breath ragged.

"I'm sorry, Taiga.. you have a fever, and still.." He said, sounding slightly worried.  
"Don't worry," Taiga said calmly, "the fever's gone now, right? So go ahead, Ryuuji.. I love you."

"Me too." Ryuuji said back hurriedly before leaning in to kiss her again.  
Her hips were slightly moving back and forth as they kissed, her chest feeling warmer.

Ryuuji slowly lifted her off the floor and placed her on the bed, her feet dangling over the edge. He pushed her a little backwards as he leaned over her and kissed her again.

He lets his hand carefully strike through her long hair, keeping her close to him.  
Ryuuji felt his cheeks turn warm as Taiga started letting out cute whimpers in the kiss.  
"N-nh.." Her breath tickled his lips. Taiga suddenly put her small hands on Ryuuji's shoulders, pushing him a little back.  
She looked him deeply in the eyes, her cheeks flushed red.

Suddenly, she smirked and grabbed him by his collar. She slowly pushed him down onto his back on the bed and lay over him.  
She wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him as she kissed him again.

After going at it for a while, Taiga broke the kiss and leaned into Ryuuji's shoulder.  
Her breath was ragged, and her cheeks were flushed.  
"I lo-.. I love you." She managed to say through her pants.

Ryuuji wrapped his arms around her tightly, pulling her even closer.  
"I love you too, Taiga." He said with a gentle voice. Taiga smiled a little before she felt her eyelids getting heavy.

In a couple of minutes, Taiga was fast asleep on Ryuuji's chest, her breath synched with Ryuuji's sleeping puffs.

**Okay, so this chapter was very fluffy. Before you ask, yes, this chapter was inspired by something I saw in an anime once.  
I just felt like putting that situation with Taiga and Ryuuji. And wow, I almost went a little too far with this scene.  
I do not intend to have Ryuuji and Taiga go all the way in this fanfic, as I really don't find that sort of thing fitting for this couple.  
But yeah, I really enjoyed writing this chapter, and I hope you guys don't mind some fluff ~**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello ~ I got a couple of reviews saying that people want marriage in this fanfic.  
Sooo, I decided that this will probably be a long-shot fanfic.  
I'll post maybe 1 or 2 chapters a week, and I might make some small one-shots from other series.  
So this will be like.. my Main Fanfic, I guess. :3**

"W-what?" Ryuuji asked with a nervous smile as he looked at his classmates.  
He had just entered the classroom together with Taiga, and everyone in the room was staring at them intensely.  
Taiga took a step back. "W-what are you all looking at?" She asked, looking scared, literally.

Ryuuji talked out the side of his lips, his voice whispering to Taiga.  
"They've planned this, haven't they?"

Taiga nodded. "It seems like it. Maybe they're trying to make us feel guilty or something."  
"Guilty about what?" Ryuuji replied with an agitated voice.

"I don't know!" Taiga looked confused. Suddenly, Minori approached them with a devious look on her face.  
"Explain yourselves ~" She said, looking back and forth from the two of them.

Taiga and Ryuuji looked at each other with a confused glare, before turning back to Minori.  
"What are you talking about?" Ryuuji asked. Minori shook her head.

"You were both absent yesterday. Isn't that a little suspicious? ~"  
Ryuuji sighed and was just about to open his mouth when Kitamura and Ami came over.

"Come on, Kushieda-san, we know that they spent a lot of time together, so they might as well have caught a cold together. It's nothing odd about it." Kitamura said with a smile on his face.

Minori turned to Kitamura. "I do not believe that is the case! ~" She stated, looking very intrigued by the situation for some reason. Ami glared at her with slight annoyance in her face.

"Oh, you.." She said, looking to her side. "Hey, you can stop staring now, fools!" Ami shouted to the rest of the class, seemingly bothered by their glares.

Ryuuji looked dumbfounded at Minori. "Really, there was a reason for it.." He mumbled. Minori looked back to them as Ryuuji spoke.  
"Don't blame me. Blame this guy," Taiga said, pinching Ryuuji's cheek, "he's the one who's too faithful to leave his sick master."

Ryuuji sighed, looking down. "Taiga had a fever, so I thought I should take care of her." He said, looking back at Minori.  
Minori's face lightened up like a Christmas tree.

"You two, you're such a lovey dovey couple! ~" Minori stated, looking cheerful.  
Taiga sighed and waved her hands a little.

"I already told you didn't I? It's not a big deal, it's-" Taiga suddenly interrupted herself with her own silence. She looked down, almost looking sad.

Ryuuji looked at her with a confused expression.  
"Taiga? What's wrong, you aren't feeling sick again, are you?" He asked, concerned. Taiga grabbed her own arm.

"N-no.. Well, maybe. I think I should go to the bathroom and drink some water." She said, hesitantly. Kitamura looked at her.

"But Aisaka, classes start in 2 minutes." He said, checking the time.  
Ryuuji waved him off.

"We'll cover for her. If we tell the teacher she's not feeling well, it shouldn't be a problem," he said. Kitamura nodded in assent.

"So then, you should go." Ryuuji said, patting Taiga's head a little.  
"Y-yeah." She answered and left the classroom in a hurry.

"Isn't she acting a little weird?" Ami asked, but the others just shrugged and got down by their desks, waiting for the teacher.

(1)Taiga tore the bathroom door open and locked it behind her. She ran in and hurriedly sat down by the wall, hugging her knees.  
_'Those words again..' _She thought with a sad expression on her face.

_"Minorin! Stop embarrassing me!" She said loudly, gritting her teeth.  
Minori looked at her.  
"Only if you make me your maid of honor, no wait, if I wore my bald cap, I could look really cool and be your best man, and then-"_

_"Minorin!" Taiga shouted a little as she looked up at her with an embarrassed look. "You don't have to make such a big fuss about this, it's __**not a big deal**__."  
She suddenly felt an unpleasant feeling in her chest, but she brushed it off._

Taiga thought back to the day where she kissed Ryuuji in front of everyone.  
_'Not a big deal,'_ Taiga looked sad as she thought about those words.

'_How could I say such a thing? I said it again, too.. Is that really how I look at it? Is my feelings for Ryuuji just some sort of teenage crush?'_

Taiga shook her head, collecting her thoughts. _'No.. I love Ryuuji.  
To be honest, I have no idea what I'd do without him. But, what does he think of me?'_

"_She can't swim, you idiot!" Ryuuji shouted as he threw himself into the water, swimming towards Taiga. His voice echoed in her head.  
That voice that was always calling out to her. That reassuring voice which would always ensure her that she was safe._

_She felt like someone was watching over her._

'_Maybe he thinks I'm a nuisance? Maybe he's with me just because he pities me?'_ Taiga thought to herself.

She suddenly pulled her phone out of her pocket, checking the date.  
_'Oh.. Valentine's day is in one week.'_

Taiga smiled to herself, suddenly looking happy.  
'Now, it's my turn to do something for Ryuuji!' She thought, standing up.

She hurried back to the classroom and gave Ryuuji a bright smile as she walked past him, surprising him a bit. She sat down by her desk.  
_'This time, Ryuuji.. This time, I want you to watch me, because it's my turn to make you happy.'_

The rest of that day was spent by Taiga by thinking of how she could surprise Ryuuji.  
She had a lot of scenarios in her head, but the only thing she'd decided so far was that she would make him chocolate.

She smiled by the thought that she might finally be able to make Ryuuji happy.  
_'I don't want to be a nuisance to you, so like this..'_

Taiga looked down.

'_Maybe you'll understand how much I love you.' _(1)

_1 : I wrote this part while listening to the Toradora soundtrack "Ame Iro Rondo", so listening to it while reading this part might make it a better experience._

**Finally found something to write about! I really wasn't sure what to make of this chapter, but it ended up being a little chapter concentrated on Taiga's feelings.**

**I enjoyed writing this chapter, and I hope you enjoyed reading it.  
Again, thank you for all of your reviews, so far there's almost only been positive feedback, and that makes me really happy.**

**I have exams coming up, so I'm not sure how much I'll be able to write in the upcoming weeks, but I'll try to update as much as possible.  
Until then ~**


	10. Chapter 10

"**Now is the time for drama and misunderstandings" was one of the reviews I got on the latest chapter, and I think I'll try to do that.  
I'm not sure how, yet, but I'll try to figure something out.  
On with the story ~**

Ryuuji paced around his room, seeming a little stressed.  
"Damn it.. Valentine's day is in 1 day, and I have no idea what to do," he said to himself, scratching his head.

He'd almost forgotten the fact that you're supposed to do something nice for your partner on Valentine, and it stressed him a lot when he finally remembered.  
"Maybe I should get her some jewelry? Or maybe.."

His eyes lit up a little. "Well, let's start with the chocolate."

Taiga spaced around her apartment, scratching her chin.  
"I've got most of the stuff I wanted to do done, but it feels like something is missing.." She said to herself, looking at the roof.

"I feel like this will go well, but I'm sure something is.. Chocolate!"  
She walked into the hallway and pulled on her jacket, seemingly pleased with herself.

As Ryuuji was about to go into the convenience store, he spotted a blue haired girl further down the street. He suddenly had an idea.  
"Kawashima-san!"

Taiga smiled as she left the convenience store with a bag in her hand. She looked at it. _'I hope this goes well!' _She thought to herself. She looked quickly from side to side before stepping into the streets.

As she was about to head towards her apartment, she threw a quick glance through the window of a jewelry store on the other side of the streets. She saw a boy with dark blue hair, and her face lit up.

'_What's Ryuuji doing in there? Is he..?' _Taiga smiled a little by the thought of Ryuuji getting her a gift, but her happy expression dropped once she saw a blue haired girl coming up beside him.

'_The stupid Chi.. and she's smiling.. She never smiles like that.' _Taiga turned around and walked quickly towards her apartment, a feeling of concern washing over her.

'_Doesn't Ryuuji like me? Does he like that girl..?'_ Taiga shook her head. _'It's probably nothing, but..' _

Taiga hurried back to her apartment. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she was sure about one thing : She wasn't going to quit there, and she would do her best to make Ryuuji happy.

Ryuuji smiled at Ami as they parted ways, and he looked down at the tiny plastic bag in his hand. He smiled a little by the thought of it.  
_'Time to go to the convenience store.' _Ryuuji thought.

Ryuuji hummed on a tune as he shuffled through the isles at the store, grabbing all he needed for tonight's dinner and some other important stuff.  
He picked up what seemed to be different shape tools.

"Perfect." He said as he got an idea from looking at it. He put it in his basket and kept scanning the isles. After 30 minutes he was on his way home, several bags in his hands.

As Ryuuji entered his house, he sat down by the table and brought up some of the stuff he'd bought.  
"Time to get to work," he said to himself with enthusiasm in his voice.

He brought up the tiny bag and pulled out two necklaces. He smiled at the two shapes before he took out the shapes he had bought at the store.  
"If I bend this, using this.." He mumbled to himself as he started fiddling with the figures.

After about 30 minutes, he held the finished product in front of him, uttering a smile.  
"Done!"

Taiga dragged the back of her palm against her forehead, sighing.  
"This was a lot more work than I'd imagined.." She said to herself, looking down at the work she had done.

"Almost finished now." Taiga uttered as she started fiddling with the tiny pieces.  
After tying a ribbon around the little box, she put her hands on her hips and looked around the apartment.

"I must say I've done a good job, wahahaha ~" Taiga laughed to herself, but she suddenly put on a serious face.  
_'I just hope he likes it.'_

Ryuuji tied the ribbon around the heart-shaped box, smiling at himself, seeming satisfied.  
"Finally done." He said to himself.

'_You better not complain, Kawashima-san.' _He thought.  
He put all the gifts down next to each other on his nightstand before laying down on the futon.

Taiga double-checked the apartment to make sure that everything was in place, and she readied her clothes for the upcoming day. She sighed as she lay down on her futon, another feeling of concern washing over her.

'_How will it go tomorrow?'_ She thought to herself before silently drifting into a restless slumber.

Ryuuji got up early the next morning, washing his hair and getting dressed. He wore pretty casual clothes, just a white shirt with a blue, slightly open shirt over it.

Ryuuji felt that it was pretty early, so he was certain he would have time to get over and surprise his date a little.  
_'How do I give her the gifts, though? How do I talk to her, what do I say?' _He asked himself a lot of questions, seeming unsure of the entire situation.

Ryuuji checked the time once more and decided he should get going. He went into the hallways and slipped on his shoes and jacket. He put the gifts in a small plastic bag, and just as he was about to open the door, his phone rang. He put it to his ear.

".." No one said anything on the other line, but he heard what could sound like sniffling.  
"H-hello?" He asked, a little confused. He heard a fragile, crying voice at the other line. It was low, and he could only barely hear it.

"R-ryuuji.." The voice muttered. Ryuuji widened his eyes.  
"T-taiga, are you okay?" He almost shouted into his phone.  
"I was about to prepare for today, and then.. and then.. I need your help."

Her voice sounded more and more desperate, and she suddenly hung up. Ryuuji almost panicked as he bolted through the door, bag still in hand.  
He ran down the stairs and into the streets, headed for Taiga's apartment.

'_Taiga!' _He ran all he could up the stairs to her apartment, and he saw that her door was slightly open. He ran to it and pulled it open.

"Tai-" He stopped himself mid-sentence, gaping at what he saw. His eyes widened, and he looked completely shocked.  
"T-Taiga.."

**Sorry about the short chapter. I know, I know, the 'drama' wasn't very dramatic, and I tried to make some sort of a misunderstanding too, even at the things Ryuuji thought about.**

**And ooooh, cliffhanger ending! The worst thing is, it might take a while for me to post a new chapter now, because of the exams, so you might have to wait for a week or so.  
Until then ~**


	11. Chapter 11

**Here's the new chapter ~ I was chosen for English Exams, which was literally perfect, and it's in 2 weeks, so I basically don't even need to prepare.  
So now, I have time to write. Yesterday was our Constitution Day, so I couldn't write anything then, but I'll get it down now.  
Looking at some of the feedback, people didn't actually predict what had happened to Taiga in the latest chapter, and I'm kind of happy for that.  
So yeah, enjoy, I hope. :3**

'_Palmtop Tiger?' Ryuuji thought. "Ah, Palmtop Tiger! I get it-" he was cut off as a fist slammed into the bottom of his face.  
'Fits her perfectly.' He thought as he fell to the ground._

_He looked up at the figure above him. She looked angry, but also..  
'She might be scary.. but she looks so beautiful. Exactly like a tiger.'_

…

_Taiga in a swimsuit. Their school was having pool days, and therefore she had to wear one. She was utterly embarrassed by the fact that it didn't fit around her chest area._

'_Flat chested or not, Taiga really looks cute in that.' Ryuuji had thought, not even realizing it. 'I guess being flat chested fits her, considering how she's built..' He shrugged, 'Why am I even thinking about this?'_

…

_That tiny, black dress. It made Taiga look even smaller than usual.  
'Come to think of it, she's so tiny it's almost unbelievable,' Ryuuji thought to himself._

_The past few weeks, he had slowly started realizing the fact that he was noticing Taiga so much more. How she looked, how she acted, everything._

'_Am I..?_

_But he was never prepared for what he was going to see on that day. Valentine._

…

Ryuuji stared at the figure in front of him with surprise written all over his face.  
He felt his heart flutter, and he even forgot to breathe for a while.  
"Taiga.." He said with a low tone to his voice.

As he had pulled the door open and ran into the apartment, he had almost hit Taiga on his way in. She was standing right in front of the door.

Ryuuji gazed upon her. She was standing there with a gentle smile on her face, but it was obvious that she wasn't as secure as she looked, as her cheeks were flushed red.

She wore the same black dress as she did on that Christmas night, but there was something different this time. It wasn't the type of thing you'd wear to look beautiful, but Ryuuji knew exactly why she wore it.

Ryuuji's cheeks felt warm as he looked at her. On her slightly red cheeks, there were faintly painted whiskers.  
He also looked up at her hair. It wasn't very different from her normal getup, but it was more ruffled, and she had tiny tiger ears attached at the top.

Ryuuji took a step closer, making Taiga's heart race faster.  
"Taiga.." Ryuuji said. He dashed forwards and got onto his knees, hugging Taiga tightly.  
"I was worried sick!" He stated, his voice shaking slightly with relief.

Taiga blushed as she put her hands on his shoulders and pushed him back.  
"It was all part of my genius plan, silly." She said with a smirk.

"Plan?" Ryuuji asked, looking into her eyes. She smiled brightly.  
"I wanted to make you happy, Ryuuji.. at least this once. So I wanted to give you a memorable evening." She answered.

"Idiot," Ryuuji said with slight seriousness on his face, "Just being with you is enough to make me happy."

Taiga looked down, almost a little sad.  
"But.. I saw you with the stupid Chihuahua the other day, so I wondered if you were tired of me or something.."  
Ryuuji looked at her with surprise on his face, but Taiga continued before he could say anything.

"But I knew that I had no right to say anything against it, because I never really deserved having you by my side, so I just.. wanted to make sure."

Ryuuji furrowed his brows before he picked Taiga up into his arms and walked into her living room. The lights were dimmed, and there were candles burning on the table, giving off a calm environment.

"You did a good job," Ryuuji said, smiling. Taiga didn't say anything.  
Ryuuji sighed and put her down on the couch. He stood above her, looking down, before he sat down beside her.

"Taiga," he said. He lifted his feet onto the couch, turning sideways to face Taiga. "Come." He said with a monotone voice. Taiga was still silent, but she lifted her legs onto the couch.

Ryuuji's legs were crossed, and Taiga knew what he wanted her to do. She climbed into his lap, crossing her legs around his waist. They sat close to each other, almost as one person. Their faces were very closed to each other.

Ryuuji kept a serious face as he grabbed the bag in his hand and pulled out a tiny box.  
"I was with Kawashima-san because I needed help with this.. but in the end, she said it would be better if I found something myself. But she was there to help me out just a little." He said.

Taiga still looked slightly sad.  
"But I've never seen her look that happy before.. she was really smiling."  
She said, looking up at Ryuuji. He smiled at her.

"She told me that she was glad someone was finally able to make her friend happy." He said straight forward. Taiga looked up with surprise in her face.

"Friend.." she said, shaking a little. Ryuuji shrugged.  
"Yeah, and she told me she'd kill me if I wasn't able to, so I did my best.." He said.

He opened the box slowly as he spoke.  
"I had to buy two necklaces, and I used some tools I bought to modify them a little and.." He lifted the necklace out of the box and slowly slid it around Taiga's neck, putting it on.

Taiga blushed a little as she lifted the necklace pendant to her face, looking at it.  
It was two silver figures, shining brightly. It was a tiny tiger, looking perfect to detail, with something slithering around it. The creature was wrapped tightly around the tiger, but not in a hurting way, it looked more protective, somehow.

Taiga stroke her finger over the other creature surrounding the tiger.  
"This is.." She said, and Ryuuji finished her sentence.  
"A dragon." He said with a gentle smile, but he was blushing a little.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get any better, but this was all I could come up with," Ryuuji said. Taiga stared at him with red cheeks.

"It's perfect." She said as she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly.  
"Jeez, I was going to be the one to make you happy, and then.."

"I made some chocolate too, but there's nothing special about them, so we could take that later. Taiga sighed.

"Now I feel that my gift is boring." She said, looking down.  
Ryuuji shook his head slightly.

"Don't think like that. As long as it's you." He said. Taiga's face lit up a little as she stood up and ran into her room. She came back quickly with a box in her hands, and she instantly jumped back into Ryuuji's lap, acting like a child.

She gave him the box and looked at him with an impatient look on her face.  
"Open it!" She stated, practically shoving it in his face. Her cheeks were even redder now.

Ryuuji opened the box and looked at the tiny chocolates inside. They had colours, especially orange and a blue-green colour. There were two different shapes, and all in all there were about 20 chocolates.

"Taiga, this is.. I don't understand how you could have made them in such detail." Ryuuji said with a blush on his face.  
The chocolates were shaped and dyed as Dragons and Tigers.

Taiga smiled at him.  
"I did my best." She said. Ryuuji closed the box and put it on the table before turning back to Taiga, leaving a tiny kiss on her lips.

"I have something else for you.. I might not have gotten you anything especially nice, but.." Taiga said as she reached for something under the table.  
"I even washed it," She smiled as she reached him the red scarf.

Ryuuji looked a little surprised at her.  
"Silly tiger," he said, smiling a little. Taiga smiled back and put the scarf around the back of his neck, using it to pull him closer.

"Stay with me.." She said with a sudden, serious voice. Ryuuji wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling his nose on hers.

"Always," he answered, holding her closely. Taiga looked like she suddenly remembered something.

"Ah, the last gift!" she stated, standing up. She ran into the kitchen and came back with two plates in her hands, placing it on the table.

"I've been o-observing you the last couple of times you've made pork cutlets, and I figured I wanted to s-surprise you." She said, looking at him expectantly.  
Ryuuji swallowed heavily, looking at the food.

'_At least it looks good,' _Ryuuji thought, shrugging. He picked up his chopsticks and took a bite, literally shaking.

"Don't look so nervous, idiot! It can't be _that_ bad, can it?" Taiga said, glaring at him. Ryuuji put the bite in his mouth slowly.

"MH!" He stated. Taiga widened her eyes.  
"Was it really that bad?" She asked, looking nervous.

Ryuuji stared at his hands, then down on the plate.  
"I-it's actually good!" He almost shouted in surprise.

Taiga blushed by his words, even though they were just complimenting the food.  
"E-eh?"

**Done with that chapter. I ended it here, but the next chapter will be the rest of their evening. I'm thinking of having them do some fun stuff or something together, maybe go out, we'll see.  
Please leave a review ~**


	12. Chapter 12

**This chapter is going to be the continuation of Valentines Day, I think.  
I hope this will be an enjoyable chapter for everyone who reads it ~**

Taiga stared at Ryuuji in disbelief. Her jaw was literally close to unhinging.  
_'Did Ryuuji just approve of my cooking?' _She thought to herself.  
_'There's no way.'_

"This is actually good.. It's not just edible, it's good!" Ryuuji stated with surprise in his face. Taiga blushed.  
"Y-you're talking as if you've seen a ghost or something, stupid dog!" Taiga said.

Ryuuji looked at her, then back at the food.  
"Well, it's not a weird thing that I'm surprised. I thought it was going to be poisonous." He said.

Taiga lifted a fist towards him and started yelling with a flustered voice.  
"A-are you insulting me? You should show some appreciation, stupid dog!"  
Ryuuji started flailing his hands frantically.

"N-no! I'm just saying I'm surprised! Positively surprised, of course!"  
He stuttered his words. Taiga calmed down a little.

"Ah.. Anyways, I'm g-glad you like it." Taiga suddenly looked embarrassed and innocent. Ryuuji smiled a little nervously.  
"Y-yeah." He said, looking back down at the food, taking small bites.

When he was finished, he put his chopsticks down on his plate and leaned back on the couch.  
"Thank you for the meal." He said with a pleased voice.

Taiga turned her face to the side.  
"Hmpf!" She stated with her arms crossed.

Ryuuji sighed. _'Seems like she's back to the way she used to be. Even calling me a dog.'_

"You're such a child," Ryuuji said with a tiny smile on his face.  
Taiga looked at him with annoyance in his face.  
"I don't want to hear that from a stupid dog!" She said to him.

Ryuuji grabbed her wrist carefully and pulled her so that she sat next to him.  
He put his fingers on the necklace she wore.  
"If I'm a dog, is there any need for you to wear this?" He asked.

Taiga suddenly widened her eyes and pulled his hand away from the necklace.  
"Don't!" She shouted with an almost scared voice. She was shaking, and her face was red.

Ryuuji pulled his arm to his chest and looked at her with surprise in his eyes.  
"Taiga.." He said, concerned.

Taiga didn't say anything, she just clasped her hands around the necklace and stared at her feet. Ryuuji sighed and took the red scarf off from around his neck.

"Here," he said as he wrapped it carefully around Taiga's neck.  
"I'm sorry," Taiga mumbled. She still looked down.

"Don't be," Ryuuji said, "it was my fault."  
Taiga shook her head and started fiddling with her fingers.  
"No, it's not.. I don't mean to call you a dog, it's just that I get embarrassed, and I try to hide it by playing mean, but I shouldn't.. not with you.." She said.

Ryuuji smiled a little. He pulled her a little closer.  
"You really are silly," he said with a gentle voice. Taiga suddenly wrapped her arms around Ryuuji's neck and put her lips close to his ear.

"Thank you, Ryuuji. Thank you for always staying by my side, even when I acted like an idiot towards you," she said with an almost sad voice.

"Even that day when I confessed to Kitamura, I was thinking about you. The day before, I'd told you that I wouldn't bother you anymore. Just the thought of not being by your side was tearing me apart," she continued. Ryuuji was completely silent.

"The feeling of not having you by my side.. It was the worst feeling ever."  
She held her arms more tightly around him.  
"That's why this necklace is so precious to me now.. Knowing that you are my Dragon."

"And that way, we will always be equals, right?" Ryuuji smiled.  
Taiga buried her face in Ryuuji's neck as he started to strike her hair with his fingers.

"We will never look down on each other, we will always be on the same level."  
Ryuuji continued with a gentle voice.  
"I might not have wide eyes, but there is one thing I am able to see."

Taiga looked up at him with questioning eyes as he smiled down at her.  
"I will always be able to see you walking by my side," He said.  
"And I will always be able to see how much I love you."

…

"Ryuuji," Taiga said after a while. "Let's do something fun."  
She suddenly sounded more cheerful. She lifted her face away from his neck and looked into his eyes.

"Like what?" Ryuuji asked, looking back at her. "What time is it anyway?"  
He checked his watch. "4 pm.. we still have a lot of time."

"Let's go for a walk!" Taiga suddenly stated with joy in her voice.  
Ryuuji looked at her with a questioning expression.

"A walk? That's not very alike you." He said with a teasing voice.  
Taiga frowned at him.  
"Whatever, I just want to walk!" She said.

"Very well," Ryuuji said and stood up. They walked into the hallway and put on their shoes.  
"I'm glad I'd already put on my jacket when you called me earlier.. it's not too warm outside," Ryuuji shrugged.

Ryuuji made sure to tie his scarf properly around Taiga's neck.  
"Jeez, even after I just returned it to you," She said, frowning a little.  
Ryuuji furrowed his brow. "It would be a total drag if you were to catch a cold", he said with a firm voice.

Taiga shrugged and looked up at him.  
"What about you, then? Won't you get cold?"  
Ryuuji smirked.

"No, I'll be fine," he said. Taiga shrugged again and opened the door, heading into the hallway of the apartment.

…

After walking around in the streets for about 15 minutes, Taiga looked up at Ryuuji. She tightened the hold on his hand a little.  
"Ryuuji! I want something tasty!" She said with a child-like expression.

Ryuuji looked down at her with a questioning expression.  
"What do you want, then?" He asked.  
"Cake!"

…

Taiga held the doughnut with the paper bag and nibbled at it with a cheerful face.  
"So this is how it is to spend valentines with someone! Having a partner that can buy you sweets! Amazing!" She said with a playful voice.

Ryuuji shrugged. "It's my money, you know.." He said with a slightly grumpy face.  
"You bought one yourself too, though." Taiga said with a smirk.

Ryuuji sighed. "Yeah, you're right. I don't mind buying it for you anyways."  
Taiga smiled as she took a big bite from the doughnut, seeming pleased.

"What should we do now? I don't want this evening to be a waste, you know."  
She said as she had finished her treat. Ryuuji scratched his head a little.  
"I'm really not sure.." He said.

Taiga sighed and ran up behind him, jumping onto his back. Wrapping an arm around his neck, she pointed forwards.  
"Then, to the movies!" She shouted with joy.

Ryuuji started walking as he was told, holding Taiga on his back.  
"What movie do you want to see anyway?" He asked as they arrived outside the movies.

"That one!" Taiga stated, pointing at a poster. Ryuuji glared.  
"Eh.. What does that say? Night of the li-living.. dead? Are you sure you can handle this, Taiga?" He asked.

Taiga smirked and gripped Ryuuji tightly around his neck, still sitting on his back, almost strangling him.  
"Of course I can! I'm not a weakling!"

...

"I don't care what you say, you're sleeping with me tonight!" Taiga said with a shaky voice, holding a wooden stick in front of her.  
Ryuuji sighed and shook his head a little.

"I thought you said you'd handle this." He said with an almost annoyed voice.  
"I do, I just.. eh.." Taiga said. Ryuuji just waved her off.  
_'It's not like I want to sleep alone myself after watching that movie,' _Ryuuji thought to himself.

"Damn zombies," he mumbled without Taiga paying any attention.

When they arrived at Taiga's apartment, the girl ran in and turned on all the lights, flailing the wooden stick in front of her like crazy.  
"Calm down a little, will you?" Ryuuji glared at her.

Taiga shook her head frantically.  
"There might be zombies," She muttered.

Ryuuji sighed and walked towards her quickly.  
"That's it," he said as he picked her up and carried her into the bedroom, Taiga flailing her arms, "you're going to bed."

He lay Taiga down on the bed. She made a grumpy face towards him.  
"I'll go get you some blankets, so stay here," he said pointing at her before leaving the room. Before he went back to the bedroom with the blankets, he noticed that the chocolate box Taiga had given him was gone from where he had put it.

"Hm.." He shook his head and returned to the bedroom, putting a blanket over Taiga. Just as he was about to leave, he felt something grab his wrist roughly.  
"Stay! There might be zombies!" he heard as he was pulled backwards.

He rolled around like crazy, being almost attacked by a blanket and a tiny tiger.  
After striving to find a comfortable spot, Ryuuji found himself under a blanket, placed over Taiga. She looked up at him with red cheeks, and he saw a tiger shaped chocolate between her teeth.

"Hey, you gave those to me, remember?" he said with a sigh.  
Taiga suddenly wrapped her arms around Ryuuji's neck, pulling his face closer as she moved the chocolate to his lips. Ryuuji looked at her for a while before biting of half the piece.

Taiga smiled as she happily ate her piece, hurriedly kissing Ryuuji afterwards.  
"You have better protect me against zombies, okay? I'll let you stay like this, so they'll take you first, since you're on top." She said with a frown.

Ryuuji sighed, hiding a little smile.  
"Yeah, yeah," he said. Taiga smiled and pulled Ryuuji closer into a hug, settling down for sleep.  
"Promise?"

"Promise."

**Phew, finally done with this chapter. This actually took me two days, as I had a horrible writers block.  
I think it turned out okay, and I'm going to try and add some more drama in the future, making it a little more exiting.**

**Do you want more drama? Leave a review ~**


	13. Chapter 13

**I keep finding it difficult to write stuff now, and it annoys me.  
My English exam is in one week, so I can literally write fanfics without feeling guilty about not studying.  
I mean, it is English. :3**

Taiga let out a loud groan as she got out of bed in the morning.  
"I'm so tired.." she said to herself as she walked into the kitchen.  
"Ah, I'll go over to Ryuuji and have him make me breakfast."

Ryuuji sighed a little as he put the plate down in front of Taiga.  
"School is going to be such a drag," he said, looking at the roof.  
Taiga nodded in agreement as she started digging into her food.

The sky outside was grey, and it looked like it could start raining any minute.  
"We should bring umbrellas in case it starts raining. Woof."  
Taiga glared at him intensely.  
"Why did you transform into a dog all of a sudden?"  
"Huh?"  
"Never mind."

…

Taiga and Ryuuji walked under one umbrella on their way to school, as it had started raining 5 seconds after they got outside.  
"Why do I have the feeling that this will be a horrible day?" Ryuuji asked with slight depression in his voice.

Taiga shrugged her shoulders, not saying anything.

As they arrived the classroom, everyone gave them weird looks. They stared at them with extreme intensity.  
Taiga and Ryuuji looked around nervously, not knowing what was going on.  
They got down by their seats, trying to ignore the weird looks they got.

Outside the window were a couple of flying pigs, headed for the rainbow, but no one seemed to care.  
The homeroom teacher entered the classroom and stood in front of the blackboard.

"Today, we will start lunch at once!" She said with a crazy grin on her face, and everyone turned to look at Taiga, including Ryuuji.

"What?" Taiga said with a confused look on her face. Everyone stood up and started limping towards her, looking completely crazy.

"ITADAKIMASU! ~"

…

"NO!" Taiga shut her eyes wide open and flailed her arms and legs frantically.

"Ouch!" Ryuuji grabbed his head as Taiga had hit him after waking up from her dream. Taiga looked around, confused by how they had ended up over the night.  
She lay flat across Ryuujis chest, him sleeping on his back.

Taiga rolled around until she lay over Ryuuji, staring into his eyes.  
Her own eyes were horrified and wet, and she cried out.  
"I almost became Tiger Cutlet!"

Ryuuji furrowed his brows and put his hands on her shoulders.  
"What are you talking about? You're not making any sense!"  
He looked fairly annoyed and tired.

"But, there were zombies!" Taiga shouted, still sounding scared.  
Ryuuji sighed and closed his eyes for a while.

"Anyways, it's 4 am, so go back to sleep. It was just a nightmare."  
He let go off Taigas shoulders and tried to settle down.  
Taiga suddenly held tightly on to him, talking with a childish voice.

"Protect me!"

…

Ryuuji groaned as he stretched his arms, walking besides Taiga on their way to school.

"What if there really are zombies!" Taiga stated, checking from side to side.  
Ryuuji clenched his fists and looked at her.

"There's no such thing!" He uttered, sounding fairly annoyed at her childishness.

"It's still scary."

"Yeah, yeah."

They walked in silence for the rest of the way, Taiga still checking around nervously every 10th second. They arrived the classroom, and they still had a couple of minutes left before classes would start.

Ryuuji sighed as he sat down by his desk, "So noisy," he said to himself, scratching his hair. He didn't feel any better as he heard an annoying, stinging voice behind him.

"Hey, Ryuu-tan! ~" The two boys, Noto and Haruta, came up to Ryuuji.  
Haruto looked intently at Ryuujis face, thinking for a while, before speaking up.  
"It was definitely him!"

"Huh?" Ryuuji asked, looking confused.

"Well, you see, I was in town with my _girlfriend_ yesterday, and I saw this guy who looked exactly like you, just a lot older, so I was pretty sure it was you from the future or something!" Haruta stated.

Ryuuji looked down at his desk and nearly slapped himself in the face.  
"There's no such thing as time-travel, Haruta," he said, looking back up.

"But, Ryuu-tan, he even had your eyes!"

"Probably just a coincidence."

Even so, Ryuuji thought about for a long time. The entire day at school he spent thinking about what it could be.  
_'It has to be a coincidence,'_ he thought, _'I mean, time travel? Yeah, right.'_

As lunch arrived, the group of friends put together a couple of desks and sat down to eat. Taiga and Ryuuji sat next to each other, and as Minori sat down, Ryuuji looked over at her.

"Hey, Kushieda," Ryuuji said with straight voice, "what do you know about time travel?" He looked at her with a serious gaze, and of course, Minori took it very seriously too.

"Time travel would be such a good thing! I think, if I would be able to travel through time, I would go back and look at how I used to be, and I would use it as entertainment, and maybe I'd try to talk to myself just to freak myself out, because I love and hate scary things, it would be so fun, I would really have to try that once, don't you think?" She looked at Ryuuji with a really fired up expression.

Ryuuji smiled nervously, pulling on his lips.  
"Y-yeah, I guess so." He said, feeling a little stupid. Taiga looked at him with a questioning gaze before returning to her lunch.

The rest of the break went forwards with normal talk, time travel not being mentioned again.

When school finished, Taiga and Ryuuji walked towards the convenience store.  
"So, what do you want for dinner today?" Ryuuji asked, looking at Taiga. Taiga shot her had back at him, staring into his eyes.

"NOT MEAT!" She nearly screamed at him, making him jump back.

"Since when were you that against meat?" Ryuuji asked, furrowing his brows.

"Since.. since zombies!"

Ryuuji sighed.

After walking around in the convenience store for a while, Ryuuji walked over to Taiga who was scanning the aisles for sweets.  
"How about miso soup, then?" Ryuuji asked.

"Sounds good." Taiga answered with a monotone voice, staring at the sweets.  
Ryuuji looked at her for a while before laughing a little.

"Seriously, just take something, I'll let you bring whatever you want," he said, smiling at her. Taiga smirked and grabbed some of the sweets on the shelf, putting it into the basket. They finished the shopping and started walking home.

As they arrived, Ryuuji walked in before Taiga, while she opened a chocolate bar and started chewing intently at it. As she followed Ryuuji in, she was just about to say something to him as he walked into the living room.

"Hey, Ryuu-" She stopped as Ryuuji came backing into the kitchen, banging his back towards the counter, dropping the groceries on the floor. The look on his face was something Taiga had never seen on him.

It was a mixture of someone who saw something obnoxious, and someone who was completely enraged. Looking at him like that, Taiga felt scared.  
Ryuuji clenched his fists and talked through gritted teeth.

"You..!"

**Oooh, something serious is happening here ~ I guess it's pretty obvious, but I'll wait until the next chapter with revealing it.  
At least this is some drama, but I have finally made the decision to not make this story as dramatic as ever putting it into the 'tragedy' category. Just slight drama and some problems and stuff.  
I did this mostly because someone told me I should have some character development, and something that brings the characters together, and I'll do my best with that. :3**


	14. Chapter 14

**I have my English Finals tomorrow, so I hope I'll be able to finish this chapter before then.  
I also have oral exams in a couple of weeks, but after that, I don't have anything hanging over me except from a convention I'm going to.  
So yeah, hopefully, I'll be able to write a lot ~**

"You..!" Ryuuji said with a hate in his voice. Taiga couldn't see who he was talking to, and she didn't dare go up to him now.  
He simply looked to scary. She could hear a slightly harsh voice coming from the living room, belonging to a man.

"'This him?" he asked. Taiga could hear someone stand up, making the tatami mats squeak a bit.

"Y-yes," she heard Yasuko's voice, sounding a little nervous.  
"That's him."

Ryuuji stood there, staring into the living room with anger in his eyes.  
"What the hell do you think you're doing here?" he practically shouted towards the person in the room that Taiga couldn't see.

"Who are you to answer your father like that, kid?" the man answered with a sharp voice. Ryuuji's stance didn't falter.

'_Father?' _Taiga thought, widening her eyes.  
_'That's right, he left before Ryuuji was even born, didn't he?'_

"How can you call me your father," Ryuuji said with a voice that made it clear how much he detested the person in front of him, "when you were never here from the beginning?"

Taiga could hear the father chuckling a little.  
"No matter what you say, I'm still your father," he said, "and I'm here to take you with me. I'll be your proper father from now on, together with my new wife."

Ryuuji clenched his fists, going into a fit of pure rage, literally shouting at his father.  
"How could you possibly think that the court would ever take you in favor and let you have custody, when you ran away so long ago?"

Taiga noticed that the father stayed in the living room, almost as if trying to keep his distance from Ryuuji.  
"I've talked to your mom about it, and I promised to help her out with her financial problems if she let me take you with me. I have my reasons for wanting to take care of you from now on." He said.

Ryuuji suddenly looked a little despaired.  
"Yasuko.. you wouldn't, would you?" he asked as he looked at his mother. Taiga already knew the response when she saw the look on Ryuuji's face.

"S-sorry.." Taiga could hear Yasuko's voice, sounding sad and sorry.  
Taiga saw Ryuuji's expression change, as if he understood something Yasuko was trying to tell him.

'_Is there some other reason that Ya-chan is letting this man take Ryuuji?' _Taiga thought, still staring at Ryuuji.

She could hear footsteps, as the man came closer to Ryuuji, but still out of Taiga's sight.  
"It's not a problem, is it? My home is just 3 hours away from here, so you can do your last year of High School on a school there, right?"

Taiga shut her eyes wide open as she heard those words.  
_'3 hours?' _she thought as she saw the blue haired man enter the kitchen, walking towards Ryuuji. His eyes had the same shape as Ryuuji's but Taiga could notice the difference quickly.

Ryuuji was much kinder, you could even sense it in his eyes. His father was nothing more than a horrible person.

'_No!' _Taiga found herself running towards Ryuuji as his father came closer to him, and they hadn't noticed her standing there. Taiga grabbed Ryuuji's hand firmly, making him look at her with a surprised expression.

She used the other hand to hold out in front of them, signaling for the man to stop.  
"Don't you even think about taking him away," Taiga shouted with sadness and determination in her voice, "Ryuuji is mine, so don't you dare lay hands on him! I won't let anyone else have him, ever!"

She looked up at Ryuuji with teary eyes, and he looked back down at her.  
He nodded his head in determination and took off running, holding tightly onto Taiga's hand, rushing out the door.

They both disappeared out the door, leaving Ryuuji's dad with a slightly faltered expression. He turned back to Yasuko who sat there, staring into the table.  
"That was.." he raised an eyebrow, waiting for Yasuko to explain.

"Yes. That was Ryuuji's salvation." Yasuko said with a monotone voice.  
The man sighed and looked back at the door.

"I see."

…

Ryuuji leaned towards a wall on the street they had reached. Taiga stood in front of him, breathing heavily.

"Are you really going away?" Taiga asked him with a sad voice.  
She looked up at Ryuuji, doing her best to look him in the eyes.

"Never," Ryuuji said, taking a step forward and looking into Taiga's eyes, "he scared my mom into letting him take me, I could see it in her eyes."

Taiga looked a little surprised at him, wondering about what kind of person Ryuuji's dad was.  
"How horrible," she said, looking almost sad. Ryuuji grunted and looked at the ground.

"Yeah, I always had the feeling my father wasn't much of a good man," he said, "and that's why I don't even want to consider him my father. He has no feelings at all, it seems."

…

Yasuko smiled a little at the man as he left the house, waving her goodbye.  
"Thank you," she said with a low voice, "maybe you're not that bad after all."  
The man smiled as he got into a car and took off.

…

Taiga looked back up at Ryuuji.  
"But, what if he forces you? You can't really do anything about it, can you?"  
She asked with a worried voice.

Ryuuji clenched his fist a little and looked down at her.  
"If that's the case, I'll run away!" he said with a determined voice.  
Taiga widened her eyes a little in surprise.

"R-ryuuji.." She said, glaring into his eyes.  
Ryuuji seemed even more determined than before.

"If he tries to force me away from you, I'll run away. I'll run until it's my birthday," he uttered, "and when I'm 18, he can no longer force me to do anything!"

Taiga suddenly jumped forwards, grabbing Ryuuji's arm.  
"If it ends up like that, I'll run away with you," she exclaimed, "and like that, you can never leave my side!"

Ryuuji looked down at Taiga, suddenly blushing a little.  
Taiga looked back up at him and smiled a gentle smile.  
"There's no way I'm going to let go of you that easily."

Ryuuji smiled at her words.  
"Then, let's do our best."

"Yeah. Let's go on until we find true happiness."

"Yeah. Let us."

**And thus, that chapter was done! I am actually, hands down, extremely pleased with how this chapter turned out.  
And as you may have noticed, most of it was written from Taiga's point of view, and how she saw the discussion between Ryuuji and his father.  
Please leave a review and tell me what you think. :3**


	15. Chapter 15

**I'm sorry this chapter got up so late, but I kind of lost my hunger for writing for a couple of days after writing a 10 page exam in 3 hours.  
I'm pretty sure it went well, though, but I'm going to try and concentrate on this right now. I hope I can come up with something good for this chapter ~**

Ryuuji leaned his back against the wall in his living room, putting a hand to his forehead.  
"I really wasn't expecting something like that," he said to himself with a tired sigh. He clenched his hand harder around the note in his hand.  
"He seems so childish."

"_He really said that?" Ryuuji had asked as he looked at his mom with a confused expression on his face. She nodded with a little smile.  
"I see.. I hadn't expected that. I even took off running."_

"_I understand why, Ryuu-chan," Yasuko said with her regular, high pitched, almost drunk sounding voice, "and I hope you understood my reason for allowing him to say those things."_

_Ryuuji gulped, feeling something tightening in his chest.  
"Yeah, I could see it on your face. You're pretty easy to read, you know," he said, trying to seem as calm as possible._

"_I am?" Yasuko asked, puckering her lips a tiny bit, seeming confused._

"_Yeah," Ryuuji said with a gentle smile, "you're my mother after all. You've raised me well."_

_Yasuko's eyes suddenly looked sad, as if she was about to cry, and she made a pouting voice.  
"Ryuu-chan!" She said, on the verge of crying._

_Ryuuji furrowed his brows and looked flustered.  
"Y-you idiot, don't cry!" He said, trying to calm his mother down, but it was too late.  
"Oh, geez," he said, rubbing his temples, "you're too sensitive."_

Ryuuji unfolded the note that his mom had handed him once more, reading the contents of it.  
'_Ryuuji-kun! I could sense the love between you and that tiny girl, and I felt so sorry for acting like that towards you! What kind of father would rob a kid of his springtime? Stay focused in school, kid, and don't disappoint your mother, or I'll be back for you! _ (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ ┻━┻ '

"Geez, he was actually like that, huh," Ryuuji sighed, a little relieved, "he was even childish enough to put in an emoticon."  
Ryuuji closed his eyes, feeling utterly tired from the things that had happened. He felt a sudden heaviness over his body, and he started to doze off into a state of being half asleep. He straightened his legs out and leaned in properly towards the wall, not caring about his current sleeping place.

After dozing off for about 15 minutes, Ryuuji felt a tickling sensation at his neck. The feeling then changed, and it was as if someone was trying to bite him.  
He opened his eyes a little and saw the tiny figure sitting on top of his lap, legs scuffled out. He saw the top of the girl's head, as she was leaning into his neck.

Ryuuji smiled a little from the sight of the golden brown hair, but he suddenly realized what was going on, and he opened his eyes completely.  
"W-what are you doing all of a sudden?" he asked with a blush, gritting his teeth a little. The girl looked up at him with a frown.

"You were impossible to wake up, so I figured I should try to bite you and see if that worked!" Taiga said, staring into his eyes with an annoyed expression.

"Couldn't you just have poked me or something?" Ryuuji sighed, rubbing his eyes. Taiga shook her head.

"I tried everything, but it was impossible!"

"Even so, don't you think biting me was a little," Ryuuji hesitated for a moment before speaking up, "Wasn't it a little vulgar? I mean, it's embarrassing."

"Eh," Taiga looked at him with a slightly confused expression, "why would it be embarrassing?" she asked.

"Geez," Ryuuji said, "you really know nothing about boys, do you?" he asked, sighing, "I thought girls were sensitive by the neck too."

Taiga suddenly blushed a little.  
"Well, I guess we are, but.."

"But?"

"But you were asleep, and it was as if you were inviting to me to tease you, so I felt obliged to bite you, okay? Your expression was so amusing, too!" Taiga uttered. Ryuuji frowned.

"Silly," he said, looking away. Taiga snickered a little.

"Maybe just a little." She smiled.

Ryuuji shook his head slightly and looked back at her.  
"Anyways," he said, holding the note up, "look."  
Taiga hummed, sounding curious as she unfolded the note. She read through it, and she furrowed her brows a little.

"What is this?" She asked with a completely serious tone.  
Ryuuji shrugged and scratched his head.

"My fath- that man left it when he left."

Taiga puckered her lips a little before breaking out into a loud laughter.  
"What the heck? Your father is like, really childish!" She stated, laughing more and more.

"I get it, I get it!" Ryuuji said with a flustered expression as he took the note away from her.

"Really, that's just too hilarious," Taiga said before calming down, making a calm expression, "I'm glad he left, anyways. I get to keep you." She said with a smile.

Ryuuji smiled back as Taiga leaned her face closer towards him, and he did the same. In the last moment before their lips touched, Taiga smirked and changed direction, shooting her lips towards Ryuuji's neck.

"Tai- ARGH!" Ryuuji stuttered with a blush on his face, gritting his teeth.  
"Stop biting me, you idiot!"

…

Ryuuji put a wet towel around his neck, rubbing it slightly. He walked back into the living room and looked at Taiga who sat on the floor.  
"Why did you have to do that?" he asked with an annoyed voice.

"I got carried away," Taiga mumbled, looking down. Ryuuji sighed and rubbed his temples before speaking up loudly.

"You drew blood!"

"Sorry!"

"Argh!

Ryuuji sat down on the other side of the table, looking at the wall.  
Taiga looked down, and they both felt an awkward air around them.  
"You're going to do it again, aren't you?" Ryuuji asked with straight forward voice.

"Definitely," Taiga answered with a slick smirk.

Ryuuji sighed and removed the towel from his neck, slowly dragging a finger over the area that was now slightly damp from the wet towel, feeling the slight bumps on his neck. Taiga had literally bit him so much that he had started bleeding after a while, although it was just a little.

'_It's not like I didn't like it..'_ Ryuuji thought, but quickly shrugged the thought out of his head. Taiga gave him a questioning look, but he ignored it.  
"This thing had better heal before Monday," Ryuuji mumbled, looking up at the roof.

Taiga straightened her back a little, still looking at the floor, and she clutched her fingers tightly by her lap.  
"Hey, Ryuuji," she said, trying to hide a blush, "would you go as far as calling us a couple?"

Ryuuji gave her a questioning glare before scratching his hair.  
"I-I would think so," he said, sounding a little nervous.  
Taiga blushed even more and had problems talking.

"T-then, wouldn't it be natural for us to go on d-d-dates more often?" she asked, seeming nervous, "I mean, we never actually arrange anything, we just end up doing stuff together."

Ryuuji furrowed his brows a little, looking up.  
"Well, maybe it's because we live so close, so it seems kind of natural to do just let things flow." He stated.

Taiga looked up and put a finger on her chin.  
"Huh, you're right," she exclaimed, "it does seem pretty natural."  
Taiga suddenly stood up and pointed a finger at Ryuuji.  
"Anyways, take me on a date! I want to know how it feels!"

Ryuuji waved his hand a little, sighing.  
"Yeah, yeah, I'll take you on a date."  
Taiga grinned, and she liked the thought of her advancing in her relationship with Ryuuji. She felt that they had stood kind of still in their relationship for the past weeks, but she also knew that as soon as they got close, they got _close._

So all in all, it would take a lot to bring them even closer now, Taiga realized, but she liked the thought of it nonetheless.

"What should we do, though?" Ryuuji asked, basically having no experience with dates whatsoever. Taiga thought for a while.

"You're the boy, so you have to decide!" She exclaimed, using it as an excuse to not have to think about it herself. Ryuuji sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

'_I'm going to fail miserably,'_ he thought to himself.  
"What if I end up doing something clichéd?" Ryuuji asked, laughing nervously.

Taiga snorted, crossing her arms.  
"Humph! I don't care, it's up to you!"

Ryuuji closed his eyes and let his head hang.  
_'I'm doomed.'_

…

Ryuuji sat down on the bench and put his hands into the pockets of his jacket, shivering slightly.  
"We might be closing in on Spring, but I wouldn't exactly say it's gotten warm yet," Ryuuji mumbled to himself, shrugging his shoulders as he shivered.  
He looked around him and up at the trees above him. They were Cherry Blossoms, but the sakura petals wouldn't bloom before fall, so the trees had a kind of beautiful loneliness over them. Ryuuji liked it, for some reason.

He heard a voice next to him, and he looked up at the source.  
"I see you didn't exactly try to steer away from the 'cliché' part," Taiga said with a smirk. She was wearing her long, white coat, and she still had Ryuuji's red scarf around her neck, nuzzling her nose into it. She originally returned it to him on Valentine, but it somehow ended up with her again.

Ryuuji frowned and looked to the side, blushing a little.  
"Shut up," he mumbled with a grumpy voice, something that made Taiga giggle a little.

"Hey, I'm as little experienced with this as you are," she said.  
Ryuuji looked up at her, a little questioning.

"But you're so cute, so I wouldn't be surprised if you went out with a lot of guys in the past," he said, making Taiga lift a fist and peck his arm with it.

"H-hey, idiot!" She exclaimed with a flushed expression. Ryuuji winced and grabbed his arm, gritting his teeth in pain before laughing slightly. Taiga giggled a little herself after calming down. For some reason, it somehow felt as if they were at the beginning of a normal relationship, were they were only getting to know each other. They knew this was only 'date nerves', and that it wouldn't last for long, but for now, they both found a little fun and joy in the fact that they could act like a fresh couple.

Taiga reached out both her arms towards Ryuuji, extending them as far as she could, looking as if she strained herself to stretch them.  
"So," she said with a high pitched, cute voice, "shall we go?"  
Ryuuji smiled and stood up, standing next to Taiga. She wrapped herself around his left arm, nuzzling into him as they started walking down the park.

Taiga looked around with glee in her face, her eyes almost sparkling.  
"It's beautiful!" she exclaimed, looking at the trees that didn't even have blossoming flowers yet. Ryuuji smiled a little.

"You think so too, huh?" He mumbled, looking up at the trees. He didn't know why, but there was definitely something beautiful about them.  
_'I'm becoming a girl, aren't I?' _Ryuuji thought to himself, laughing a little internally.  
Taiga suddenly released Ryuuji's arm and ran a couple of meters ahead, doing a little spin before turning to Ryuuji, closing one eye while grinning at him.  
Ryuuji widened his eyes a little, before smiling, looking almost sad.

"Yes, you do," he said with a loud and clear voice, making sure that Taiga would hear him. Her smile faltered a little, and she looked confused. She didn't say anything, she just gave him a questioning gaze.

Ryuuji smiled a little more, still looking right at her.  
"That time before Christmas, remember?"

"_So, I'll act nice to everyone, so that Santa will visit me for sure!" Taiga said with a happy voice, making Ryuuji sigh a little. She ran ahead of him and did a little spin, grinning back at him with one eye closed, putting her doughnut over her head.  
"Hey, Ryuuji," she said with a joyful voice, "do I look like an angel?"_

"You told me that you had to act like an angel to make sure that Santa visited you," Ryuuji said, "and then you asked me if you looked like one."  
Taiga suddenly blushed extremely, trying to hide her cheeks within the scarf.  
"You really do look like an angel."

Taiga suddenly rushed towards Ryuuji, holding both arms out in front of hear.  
"Idiot!" She screamed with an embarrassed voice, pushing him backwards. He staggered back, but managed to stay on his feet.

"H-hey, what are you doing?" Ryuuji asked, his smile now gone. Taiga ran towards him again, wrapping her arms around his torso, burying her face into his chest.

"And Santa really did show up in the end, didn't he?" Taiga said with a suddenly gentle, yet embarrassed tone to her voice. Ryuuji smiled and put a hand on top of Taiga's head, ruffling her hair a little.

"Yeah, he did," he said with a careful voice, "and it was the beginning of something great." He looked up at the sky, once more taking in the view of the trees above him.

"I did my best to be rewarded for being nice towards others," Taiga said, holding onto Ryuuji a little tighter, "and you were there to reward me."  
Ryuuji wrapped his arms around Taiga, and she moved her arms to around his neck, looking him in the eyes.  
"And now, you have been blessed with an angels' love", she said with a smirk and stood on her toes, giving Ryuuji a kiss that meant more to them both than any kiss they'd ever shared.

"I'm glad."

**At least this chapter was longer than the other ones.  
I feel that I'm too little "social" with my readers, so I'll do something right now : First off, I want to thank ****RandomNumbers523156**** for being the first to review my story, and still sticking with it until now.  
Other than that, I've been asked of only a couple of small things, including character development and maybe some more drama (whilst others don't want the drama), so I'm still trying to figure out what to do about just that.  
We'll see in due time, and I completely understand if you grow tired from this filler-like fanfic.  
Until next time ~**


	16. Chapter 16

**To start it off, I just want to clear any misunderstandings about the last chapter :  
Apparently, not surprisingly, there was some confusion around the whole Ryuuji's father thing.  
The letter was really just for comic relief, to kind of show that his father was in reality, a slightly weird, childish guy. Somewhat like Gai in Naruto. Another question was, why Ryuuji answered Taiga with an "I think so" to her question about them being a couple, instead of "of course." Basically, I feel that Ryuuji is afraid to make pre-assumptions on Taiga's feelings, and therefore tries to stay a little back to make sure he doesn't go to fast, or hurt her.  
Anyways, I'm done with both exams and oral exams now, so I think I'll be able to write a lot more now.  
Also, I want to try and lengthen my chapters a little, more like the one I posted the last time.  
Anyways, on with the story ~**

Ryuuji awoke from his former peaceful sleep by a loud noise from the living room.  
"What the hell is it now?" Ryuuji asked himself with a grumpy voice, too tired to really make any sense of anything. He walked into the living room, his entire body swaying back and forth, and he sighed as he saw Yasuko lying flat out on the tatami mats.

He rubbed his eyes and walked over to her, crouching down next to her.  
"It's 4 am, and you decide to pass out before reaching your room. That's just great," Ryuuji said with a sigh, putting Yasuko's over his shoulder, supporting her as he lead her into her bedroom. He lay her down on the futon, turning around to leave.

"Such a nice son," Yasuko mumbled with a happy, drunken voice. Ryuuji sighed again as he left the room, heading back to sleep.

'_I'm going to be absolutely exhausted,'_ he thought to himself as he lay down on his futon again, trying to fall back to sleep. At the same time, Taiga slept peacefully, curled up like a ball in her big bed. Yet again, she had a dream having to do something with Ryuuji and food.

"Pork cutlet.." she mumbled, moving slightly around in her bed.  
"Give me pork cutlet."

…

3 hours later, Ryuuji was awoken by his alarm clock. He stretched his arms and yawned loudly, standing up from his futon. As he would always do, he tiredly shuffled his feet over the floor, wearing only a t-shirt and boxers. He rubbed his eyes as he entered the kitchen.

He tiredly hummed away to a tune as he started preparing breakfast as if he was programmed to do so. He practically didn't realize that he was even making breakfast before 10 minutes into it. After putting down the heat on the stove, he left the vegetables to fry for a moment as he headed into the bathroom for a quick shower. After he was finished, he quickly finished breakfast and lunch, packing the lunch into tiny bento boxes.

'_She's late', _he thought as he looked at his watch. He hurriedly pulled on some pants and a shirt before walking over to Taiga's apartment, finding her door slightly open as always. He sighed as he walked into her bedroom, finding her fast asleep. He crouched down beside her bed and leaned his chin on the mattress, just looking at her for a while.  
_'She looks like a doll,' _he thought to himself upon seeing her sleeping figure.

He heard a faint voice somewhere, but he didn't know what it was. He could hear it get clearer and clearer, someone calling out his name.  
"-uuji," the voice sounded, "Ryuuji! Are you listening, you perverted dog!" Taiga shouted as she slapped him across the face with a pillow.

"Ah.." he said as he finally came to. He had somehow dozed off, only for a minute or so.  
"I was going to wake you up, but then.. Anyways, breakfast is ready, and we're already close to running late," he said, poking Taiga's nose. She flinched a little.

"Okay, then," Taiga said with a reluctant voice, still sounding slightly tired.  
Ryuuji stood up and turned around, ready to leave the room, as someone grabbed the edge of his shirt. He came crashing towards the floor, face first, as Taiga fell over him. She crawled over his back, making him grunt in pain several times, before standing up and walking towards the door.

"Eh," she uttered, turning around with an incredulous look on her face.  
"How did you end up on the floor, Ryuuji?" She asked with a confused, high pitched voice. Ryuuji grunted again as he stood up.

"You.." He growled, but stopped himself.  
"Good morning." He said with an annoyed voice, and Taiga came towards him, shuffling her feet.

"Thanks for waking me," she said with a gentle voice as she left a kiss on his cheek and left the room.

'_How can she change so fast just because she's tired?'_ Ryuuji thought as he shrugged his shoulder.  
_'Beats me.'_

Taiga suddenly returned to the room, holding a hand on her stomach.  
"Ryuuji," she said with a groan, "I don't feel too good."

…

Lunch break had arrived, and Taiga sat in her chair with a tired look. Ryuuji came walking to her desk, sitting down with her, and so did their other friends.  
"Really, you didn't have to push yourself," Ryuuji said as he sat down next to her. Kushieda jumped on her and hugged her tightly, faking a cry.

"Poor Taiga ~" she howled, making Taiga blush a little.

"M-Minorin, it's okay!" she said, pushing her back a little. As they fumbled around, Kitamura turned to Ryuuji.

"Hey, Ryuuji, I have something to ask you," he started, looking almost a little nervous, "so maybe we could meet up later?"  
Ryuuji looked a little surprised, as it wasn't really like Kitamura to ask him for help with anything.

"S-sure, just call me whenever," Ryuuji said, lifting an eyebrow. Kitamura smiled at him and turned to his lunch.  
_'Anyways, isn't it unusual for him to call me by my first name, even though we're friends?'_ Ryuuji thought to himself, but brushed the thought off.  
Ryuuji looked up as he heard Ami speak with a slightly concerned voice.

"I'm sorry, but I'll have to take this one out in the hallway and ask her something," she said with a silly smile as she pulled Taiga's arm. She didn't even have time to resist before she was pulled into the hallway by Ami.  
Ryuuji frowned and looked towards the door.

"What could it be she wanted to talk about?" Ryuuji asked, but it didn't take long before he heard a loud voice coming from the hallway.

"W-w-why would you ask such a stupid question, you stupid Chihuahua!" Taiga shouted. Not long after, she came tramping into the classroom. Just as Ryuuji tried to speak up, she walked straight past him and grabbed her bag, rushing out of the classroom. It looked as if there was fire on the way out of her ears. Ami came over with a sigh and slumped down on her seat, sighing deeply.

"W-what did you say to her?" Ryuuji asked with a bitter smile. Ami shrugged.

"I won't say it out loud to a boy, you know," she sighed. Ryuuji frowned and stood up.

"Hey! I feel like I have a right to know what's going on," he said with a grumpy voice. Ami sighed again and stood up, grabbing Ryuuji's arm.

"I'll only tell it to you, then," she said, pulling him back out of the room. As they came into the hallway, she let go of him and turned to him with a serious look on her face.  
"I asked Taiga whether or not she had her period yet," Ami said, "seeing as she wasn't feeling too good."

Ryuuji furrowed his brows before realizing what Ami was talking about, which made his eyes practically pop out of his skull.  
"Y-you asked her _what?_" he almost shouted at her face, his cheeks turning red, "Why would you ask such a thing just because she was feeling sick?"

Ami shook her head and sighed yet again, putting a finger to her lips.  
"Something tells me the two of you spent Valentines day together," Ami said with an innocent, teasing voice, and she puckered her lips. Ryuuji frowned and waved his hand slightly back and forth.

"We didn't do anything like that, you know," he said, sounding calmer.  
Ami shrugged and looked to the side.

"Well, I would go as far as to say this is my business, so I guess I should tell you," she started, making Ryuuji look a little bewildered, "before she started shouting, she said she did in fact not have her period yet, so lying to me won't help anyone."

Ryuuji widened his eyes and took a step back, his eyebrow twitching.  
"B-but," he stuttered, "we didn't do anything."  
Ryuuji was almost certain that it was just a coincidence, but there were some unpleasant thoughts invading his head, but he would never go as far as to assume that Taiga would cheat on him.  
_'That wouldn't be like her in the slightest!'_

Ami shrugged and looked to her right side, seeming careless.  
"Oh well, she doesn't seem the type to cheat on her boyfriend or anything, so you don't need to worry about anything like that," she started, "but of course, I'm not sure if you're telling the truth."  
She smirked at him, making him blush a little.

"I'm telling the truth," Ryuuji mumbled, scratching his hair.  
"Maybe I should find her." He said.

"I'll come with you," Ami nodded. Ryuuji was about to protest, but Ami put a finger up, signing for him to stay silent.  
"You might need a girl in this situation, Takasu-kun ~" she said with a deceiving voice, making Ryuuji sigh before shrugging his shoulders.

"Very well, then, but don't blame me when the teachers scold you for skipping classes." Ami chuckled a little from Ryuuji's remark, but didn't seem to care.  
They returned to the classroom and picked up their bags, before walking over to Kitamura and Kushieda.  
"We're going to go look for Taiga," Ryuuji said with a calm voice. In a matter of seconds, Kitamura and Kushieda were on their feet, bags in hand.

"We shall join you!" They both exclaimed in unison, making Ryuuji take a step back in surprise.

"A-are you sure?" Ryuuji asked, making the two take position as if they were in the army.

"Yes, sir!" They almost shouted, making both Ryuuji and Ami sigh as the entire class stared at them.

"Just calm down, and we'll go," Ami said with a reluctant voice. Kitamura and Kushieda nodded vigorously as Ami turned to leave. Kitamura, Ryuuji and Kushieda followed close after, Kushieda and Kitamura still seeming very energetic. As they had left school, they tried to find out where to go.

"I say we check her apartment first, that's the most likely place she'd go to," Ryuuji said, and the others agreed. They started walking, and it took a while before anyone spoke up at all.

"What did you even tell her to make her react like that?" Kushieda suddenly asked with an almost scary voice, the undertone saying_ 'What did you do to poor little Taiga?'_

Ami shrugged and looked to her left, turning her face away from the others.  
"I only asked her a simple question, and she seemed to get very embarrassed about it." She said, sounding like she didn't really care at all. Kushieda muttered something under her breath, and turned her face away from Ami. The rest of the walk was spent in silence.

They arrived at Taiga's apartment, and they walked towards her door. It was actually closed this time, and Ryuuji started knocking.  
"Taiga?" He asked, "Taiga, it's me, Ryuuji." He knocked again, but there was no answer. He turned to the others, and they just shrugged their shoulders.  
They left the apartment complex and stopped outside, looking around.  
"Alright, before we look any more, I have to go inside and get something," Ryuuji said.

"Okay, we shall wait here, Takasu-kun!" Kushieda exclaimed. Ryuuji nodded and walked up the stairs to his house. He tried opening the door, but it was locked.  
"Huh? That's weird," he muttered as he grabbed his keys out of his pockets. He opened the door and let himself in.  
He walked around his house to see that Yasuko wasn't home. He found a note saying she had left early for job.  
Ryuuji remembered that he had to get something from his room, so he went inside. He started looking through his desk, and suddenly heard a grumpy sound behind him.

"Eh?" He uttered has he turned around to see something moving under the blankets on his futon. He lifted an eyebrow as he walked towards the wriggling figure, and he lifted the blankets to peek underneath. He was met with a pouting face.

"What?" The little girl asked with a grumpy voice, looking at Ryuuji.  
Ryuuji sighed and pulled the blankets all the way off. Taiga sat up and crossed her arms over her chest, looking at the wall to her right.

"What are you doing here?" Ryuuji asked, looking at her as he sat down on the floor in front of her.  
"And how did you even get in?"  
Taiga pointed towards the balcony, signaling that she climbed there from her own window. Ryuuji sighed.  
"Did Ami's question make you that angry?"

"It was embarrassing," Taiga muttered, letting her arms dangle over her legs.  
"I mean, why would she even ask such a question? Does she want to make fun of me?"

"It wasn't to make fun of you," Ryuuji said with a serious voice, "it would be pretty serious if she was right, you know." He sounded a little concerned.  
Taiga looked at him with a confused expression.

"Why would it be serious?" She said, "And she was right, wasn't she?" She pouted and looked down. Ryuuji widened his eyes a little, having no idea what Taiga meant by this.

"You do know what it means when you don't have your-" Ryuuji hesitated before using the word, as it was a little embarrassing, "-period for a long time, right?"

Taiga looked up at Ryuuji with a bewildered expression, before widening her eyes.  
"IDIOT!" She shouted, slamming her fist towards Ryuuji's chest. He fell backwards and landed with his back towards the wall.

"W-what are you doing?" He asked with gritted teeth, trying to shake off the pain. Taiga came walking towards him with a furious expression, making Ryuuji seem very scared. She stood over him, closing her eyes in embarrassment.

"W-when I said hadn't had my period," she said with a panicking voice, "I meant I never had it, never ever!" Her face turned red as a tomato, and Ryuuji looked confused for a moment, before realizing what she meant.

"O-oh." He uttered, looking surprised. Taiga gritted her teeth and look down at Ryuuji.

"So, are you going to make fun of me now?" She asked with a serious but shaky voice. Ryuuji smiled a little and grabbed her hand.

"I don't have any reason to make fun of you," Ryuuji said with a gentle voice, striking his thumb over her hand.

"B-but I'm so immature," Taiga said, pouting. Ryuuji sighed and pulled her down, making her sit down over his lap. He looked her in the eyes, and she still looked embarrassed.

"It's not your fault that you're late, Taiga." He said with a firm voice. Taiga sighed and let her head fall to his chest, her forehead leaning on it.

"But it's still embarrassing, you know." She mumbled, and Ryuuji smiled.

"Don't think too much about it," Ryuuji answered. He put a finger to her cheek and lifted her face so he could look her in the eyes.  
"You know that I love you no matter what, right?"

Taiga nodded, embarrassed. Ryuuji smiled again and pulled her closer, their lips meeting. Taiga wrapped her arms around Ryuuji's neck, and he put his arms around her back. They stayed like that for a while, their lips still meeting in rising speed.

"Are you okay? We heard a loud noise, and-" Kushieda and Ami stood in the door, a blush creeping over their faces as they saw the couple close to the wall. Ami smirked at Ryuuji, and Kushieda stood there, frozen.  
"You two are so vulgar," Ami said with a teasing voice.

"A-ah.." Taiga uttered with an embarrassed expression. A smile started creeping onto Kushieda's face, and a thin stream of blood found its way out of her nostril.  
They looked at her in complete silence, as she lifted her arms to her chest and opened her mouth.

"KYAAA ~" She exclaimed, "My mind can't stand something so cute! ~"  
Ami sighed, and Taiga's face turned even redder. Ryuuji sat there with a bewildered expression, not saying anything.

"S-stop it, Minorin!" Taiga uttered, "It's embarrassing!"

**I am so sorry it, it took such a long time for me to finish this chapter!  
Oh well, at least it's here now. Considering I want at least **_**some **_**character development, I started building up to a chapter involving more Kitamura, when he asked Ryuuji for help.  
I'm not sure what to do about it yet, but at least it'll hopefully bring some development.**


	17. Chapter 17

**I am sorry for not posting for a while. I keep having these writers' blocks, and it's kind of hard to do anything with it.  
I constantly try to come up with something to inspire me, but I'll just have to do my best to put something together.  
So, in the future, I might not post every single week, if I keep having these problems.**

'_How could I forget?' _Ryuuji cursed at himself in his head. He scuffled his feet around his room, trying to think. It had been 3 weeks since Valentine's day, and in one week, there was White day. Ryuuji had gotten a present for Taiga on Valentine's day, completely forgetting the fact that the boy was supposed to do that on White Day.

'_How could I forget about typical, Japanese tradition?' _He cursed again, furrowing his brows. He had to figure out what to do, and that quick.  
Before he had time to think more about it, his phone rang.  
"Hello?" Ryuuji answered the phone, still walking in circles in his room.

"Ah, hello, Takasu-kun," Kitamura's voice sounded on the other side.

"Ah, hey. Anything you need?" Ryuuji asked, furrowing his brows a little. He was too stressed out for this.

"Yeah, if you're not busy," Kitamura started, making Ryuuji sigh by the fact that he kind of was, "I needed your advice on something, remember?"

"Yeah," Ryuuji said, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "so, what is it?"

"Well, I was wondering if we could meet up at the family café?"

"…" silence for a while, as Ryuuji closed his eyes. "Sure," he said, reluctantly.

…

Ryuuji burrowed his face into the palm of his hand as he sat down by a table at the café. Kitamura hadn't arrived yet, so all he could do was wait.  
_'He's not the one who usually asks me for advice,'_ Ryuuji thought.  
He ordered a cup of coffee while he waited, and he felt pleased by the fact that they served coffee of high quality.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Kitamura uttered with a smile as he sat down opposite to Ryuuji.

"That's okay," Ryuuji said as he looked up from his coffee, "So, what do you need?" He asked, folding his hands on the table. Kitamura sighed and looked to the side before turning back to Ryuuji, his smile faltering a bit.

"Well, it really isn't like me to do these serious talks and all that," Kitamura started, "but I need your opinion on something."

Ryuuji frowned a little and scratched his right arm with his left hand.  
"And what would that be?" He asked, seeming pretty serious.

"You remember Sumire, right?" Kitamura asked, but didn't give Ryuuji time to answer. "I'm thinking of going to America to study after our graduation next year."

"I see," Ryuuji sighed, softening his expression, "so that you can follow Sumire, I assume?"

"Yes, I guess it's pretty obvious," Kitamura answered. "But I wanted to get your opinion on the matter. You are my best friend, after all."  
Ryuuji felt his heart flutter a little. He had never really pictured that anyone would call him their best friend, as he never really seemed very sociable.  
He _did _have a girlfriend, but he hadn't really expected the term 'best friend' from anyone. It made him happy on the inside.

"I say you go for it." Ryuuji said with a determined voice, suddenly smiling a little. Kitamura widened his eyes a little, and he looked slightly taken aback.

"T-takasu-kun," he uttered, shaking a little, "did you just smile?"  
Ryuuji looked a little surprised and looked up, pondering a little.

"I guess I did," he said, but suddenly frowned, "is it really that rare to see a smile on my face?"  
Kitamura laughed a little, seeming to be in a better mood.

"Honestly, yes." He said, calming down, still a smile on his face. "It's not the most usual thing, to put it bluntly."  
Ryuuji sighed and took a sip from his coffee.  
"So you think I should do it, huh?" Kitamura asked, looking more determined. It was much better for him to have someone supporting his dream.

"Yeah," Ryuuji started, "I think it's good to do whatever you feel is right. Just be true to yourself, and everything will be fine." His smile faltered a little and looked down.  
"Or something like that." He mumbled under his breath with a displeased voice.  
Kitamura lifted an eyebrow.

"Is something the matter?" He asked, looking at Ryuuji curiously.  
Ryuuji sighed and looked back up with a slight smile on his face.

"No, everything is okay." Ryuuji said. He didn't even have a dream to follow.  
He had no idea what he wanted to do with his life, or what line of work he wanted to follow, but he knew one thing for sure.  
_'I have to get a proper job so I can take care of her.' _He thought with determination, a picture of Taiga appearing in his head.  
Only imagining her frail figure was enough to ensure him of the fact that he needed to look after her.

"Yusaku!" Ryuuji exclaimed with a sudden determination to his voice. Kitamura seemed surprised by the sheer fact that Ryuuji called him by his first name.  
"You are the god of broken hearts, right? You know about romance, right?"

Kitamura chuckled a little as he scratched the back of his head.  
"I guess so, Ryuuji." He said, purposely calling Ryuuji by his first name too.

"Well, here's the problem," Ryuuji started, sounding comically desperate, "I got Taiga a present for valentine, so what should I do for White day?"  
Kitamura thought for a while, before smiling at Ryuuji.

"Just do whatever you think would make Aisaka-san happy. If it comes from you, it would be what makes her the happiest, am I right?"

"I guess you're right," Ryuuji said with a sigh. "I just hope I can come up with something."

"You'll find something." Kitamura said with a smile.  
"Would it be ok for you to keep quiet about the whole America thing for a while? I want to wait a little with telling the others." Kitamura looked down.

"Of course," Ryuuji said. He twirled his fingers a little as he smirked at Kitamura.  
"Maybe that's what the underclassmen will talk about when we graduate."

"What do you mean?" Kitamura asked with a bewildered expression.  
Ryuuji looked down for a while before looking back up with a smile on his face.

"Did you hear? Our Student council president, Kitamura-sempai, is moving to study in America after graduation! He's so cool!" Ryuuji took a little a break before he sighed.  
"Or something like that.. right?"

Kitamura smiled a little before basically breaking into laughter.  
"I'll look forward to it!" He exclaimed, making Ryuuji laugh a little.  
Ryuuji suddenly smiled brightly, something which still seemed to surprise Kitamura, and he raised his fist towards Kitamura.

"Good luck!" He said with a determined voice as Kitamura also bumped his fist against Ryuuji's.

"Thank you," Kitamura said, "And good luck to you, too!"

…

Ryuuji sighed as he sat down in front of the desk in his room.  
_'That Kitamura, always going around, doing impulsive things,'_ he thought to himself. _'I guess I kind of admire that part about him.'_ He grinned.  
Ryuuji looked out of his window, towards Taiga's apartment.  
_'I wonder what she's doing.' _Ryuuji pondered, just as he heard a knock at the door.

He sighed and stood up from his chair, making his way towards the door. He turned the lock and opened the door, only to see Taiga standing there in a long nightgown and a teddy bear hanging slackly from her hand.

"Why did you lock the door? You idiot." Taiga muttered, keeping her eyes fixed on the ground. Ryuuji frowned.

"What are you even doing here? And in your nightgown? It's 10 pm!" Ryuuji looked down at the object in her hand, and he frowned even more.  
"And since when did you have a teddy be-" He was interrupted by Taiga's annoyed voice.

"I wanted a hug, but the teddy bear wasn't real enough!"  
Ryuuji took a step back, not really understanding the situation, but before he had time to say any more, Taiga had stepped inside and closed the door behind her.  
The only thing Ryuuji could think of was how tiny Taiga seemed in that attire, especially with the teddy bear in her hand.

"Hug.." Taiga muttered under her breath before dropping her teddy bear to the ground. She stumbled towards Ryuuji and wrapped her arms around his waist, clinging into him. Ryuuji could hear her chuckle in pleasure.  
"Yes, you feel much more real than a teddy bear." She said and nuzzled her head into Ryuuji's chest.

Ryuuji smiled at her and patted her head a little.  
"Now, now.." He said with a chuckle in his voice. Taiga looked up at him and frowned a little.

"You're smiling." She said with a firm voice, making Ryuuji stutter.

"Is it really that rare?" He uttered, and Taiga snorted at his retort.

"I don't care," Taiga mumbled as she clung into his chest again. "As long as you're my Ryuuji, I don't care." Ryuuji sighed and grabbed Taiga's hand, leading her into the bedroom.

"We should probably go to sleep." He said to her, and she pointed towards futon. He sighed and lied down on his back, Taiga quickly following after.  
She climbed up on his chest, relaxing onto him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he wrapped an arm around her back.

"Good night, Ryuuji," Taiga smiled and buried her face in his neck.

"Good night." Ryuuji replied with a gentle voice. Taiga mumbled something with a chuckle before softly biting Ryuuji's neck.

"T-T-TAIGA!"

"Sleep." Taiga smirked and closed her eyes. Ryuuji frowned.

'_Silly tiger.'_

**There! This took way too long. D:  
I am really, really sorry, you are all allowed to scold me now.  
Last week of school now, and an Anime-con next weekend. I can't wait!  
Anyways, I'll try to keep updating this story more often than I've done these past weeks. I'll do my best, at least!  
I hope you liked the whole fluffy / comic relief in the end of this chapter. I felt that it was needed, I guess ~**


	18. Update SORRY

**So, I've graduated Middle High with A's on my exams, so I can say I'm fairly happy. I now have two months of summer vacation. I went to Desucon this weekend, and something really great happened to me, but it also gives me less time to write this week. I'll do my best to get up a chapter very soon, and I'm sorry for even posting an update as a chapter.  
**


	19. Chapter 18

**I'm sorry for the delay on this chapter, but I'll do my best to make it good.  
I hope you'll all bear with me, and I hope I'll be able to continue this fic as smoothly as before.**

The human brain can be quite peculiar at times. It can put thoughts into the head of a person, thoughts that have been stored within their minds, but never really gotten out.  
But in the end, these thoughts might emerge. It could be anything, from something small to something bigger. One never knows.  
They can be thoughts that appear within your head, and make you feel happy, or relieved. Other times, it can make you feel downright crappy. It can appear into your head at a random time, even in your dreams. Just one tiny thought, or an idea, that might set something off inside of you. Just that little _'What if'_.

'_What if I really am just a burden?'___The girl asked herself, her arms tightly clutched around her legs, her knees pulled up under her chest. She sat there silently, in the corner of the room, just gazing at the ceiling. The light from the stars bathed the ceiling in a faint light, holding that drowsy feeling over her.

"What are you doing?" the boys' voice asked her from the futon. His voice was faint, and it was clear that he had just woken up. He slowly sat up and ruffled his blue hair before looking at the watch hanging on the wall, squinting his eyes to adjust his sight.  
"It's 3 am," he muttered.

"I had a dream." The girl answered with a monotone voice, her eyes still fixed on the ceiling. She looked lost, as if she wasn't really there, except from her physical form. Her being, her sole existence, seemed lost.  
"It was an unpleasant dream, so I thought I should look at the stars for a while," she muttered, "though it's only a reflection."

"You're speaking nonsense," the boy sighed, "you must be half asleep. Come back to bed." He lifted the blankets a little as to invite her in, but she didn't respond.

"Ryuuji," the girl started, and it seemed like her existence had returned, and she sounded more like herself again, though this brought a sad tone upon her voice.  
"Was that dream true?" She asked as she looked at the boy, making the boy react quickly. It was as if he could sense something about her, and he knew that something was wrong.

"Taiga," he said with a concerned voice as he swiftly moved over to her and sat down on his knees in front of her.

"I dreamt that everyone looked at me as if I was nothing but a burden," she started and looked down at the floor, "and in the end of that dream, you gave me the same look." She looked back up at Ryuuji and saw the concern on his face.  
"And it all felt so real, I didn't know what to do!"

"You idiot!" Ryuuji exclaimed as he put his hands on Taiga's shoulders, forcing her to look into his eyes.  
"You're not a burden, and you never have been!"

"But you always take care of me, Ryuuji," Taiga uttered, "almost like it was your job."

"I don't look after you because I have to, I do it because I wish to!"  
Ryuuji's eyes filled with something like determination as he kept talking.  
"I know how it feels to not have a father to live with, and at the moment, you have no parents to live with at all," Ryuuji looked almost desperate now, "so please just let me take care of you!"

A blush suddenly started creeping over Taiga's face, but she shook it off abruptly, putting on a stern posture.  
"Hmphf, fine!" She said with a voice that Ryuuji could only recognize as Taiga's 'I don't care' side which he had seen so often before.  
"Then you better make up for the fact that you screwed up the difference between Valentine and White day, for starters!"

Ryuuji sighed as he smiled stupidly.  
"Yeah, yeah, I'll do my best," he waved a hand in front of her face.  
Taiga stood up and grabbed Ryuuji's hand, dragging him back to the futon, making him lay down.

"Sleep, dog." She said with a stern voice as she lay down over him.  
"And, Ryuuji," Taiga's voice softened as she looked into his eyes, "Thank you."_**  
**_…

"Crap, crap, crap!" Ryuuji sputtered as he ran back and forth in his house.  
"Taiga, get up, we're going to be late!" He shouted, earning only a loud groin from his room, sounding like a displeased cat.  
"This happens every time," Ryuuji muttered under his breath as he pulled the bread out of the toaster.  
"Taiga!" He shouted again as he rushed into the bedroom and started shaking the girl out of her sleep.

'_SLAP!' _Ryuuji rushed out of the bedroom with a hand to his face.  
"Just get up, will you?" He muttered.  
_'She's so grumpy in the morning, I should start wearing an armor!' _Ryuuji thought to himself as he hurriedly packed his bag and put in some money for lunch at school.

"Why are you stressing so much?" Taiga asked with a tired voice. She was standing in the door to the kitchen, still in her pajamas.  
Ryuuji pointed at the watch hanging on the wall, and Taiga looked at it with drowsy eyes.  
".. Oh."

…

"Hurry!" Ryuuji exclaimed as they jogged towards school, both with a slice of toast in their mouths. They entered the schoolyard just as the bell rang, and they hurried to their classroom. Not wasting a single second, they got down on their seats just in time for homeroom. Ryuuji dried a bead of sweat away from his forehead before settling down, fixing his concentration towards the blackboard.

"As some of you might know," the female teacher started, "we're going on a school trip in 2 weeks." Some low chattering and whispering started emerging from the class, but the teacher didn't seem to notice, and she kept talking about the trip. Apparently, they were going to Okinawa, a place with a nice beach and everything. And they were also going to stay at some nice hotel, Ryuuji noted.

To no surprise, a voice broke out from the back of the class.  
"How do we know you're not just trying to set us up for the program, sensei?" Haruta asked with a sheepish voice, making his classmates both sigh and laugh at the same time.

"P-program?" The teacher asked him with a nervous look on her face. Their teacher was known for being easily affected, and pretty sensitive on some matters.

"And it begins," Noto muttered with a sigh, and it looked as if the class was about to burst out in laughter, waiting for Haruta to continue.

"Yeah, the program. Like in Battle Royale, you know?" He said with a faked serious face. "_Kill or be killed_, that kind of stuff!"

"What are you talking about, Haruta-kun?" The teacher asked, looking like she was about to burst out crying. She really was sensitive.

"You did it, Kouji!" Another male student shouted, and people started laughing and cheering at the class idiot, like always. Haruta sat there with a sheepish smile on his face.

"Thank you, everyone, I highly appurciate your support," he said jokingly.

"I'm pretty sure it's _appreciate, _Haruta." Noto said with a stern face, making Haruta glare at him with confusion written all over his face.

"Excuse me, Yuri-sensei," Kitamura started, getting the teachers attention while the others kept blabbering uncontrollably. "How will the rooms be organized?"  
Yuri-sensei looked a little relieved as she finally got a proper question, and she started going through some paper at her desk, before laying one in the front of the desk for everyone to see.

"W-well, there will be 4 people per room. You can choose for yourself who you want to be in rooms with, and once you've all agreed, come and write yourself up with your roommates on this list." She said with a slightly shaky voice, before quickly adding something; "And of course, only 1 gender per room!"

"But, sensei, that's unfair!" Haruta exclaimed with disappointment on his face.

"It's not like any of the girls would let you sleep in their room anyways!" Noto said jokingly, making Maya and the other girls giggle like crazy at the expression Haruta gave Noto. Their teacher could only sigh and sit down by her desk, hoping that the class would seize their rambling as soon as possible.

"Oi, Ryuu-tan!" Haruta shouted, and it seemed like the joy had returned to his voice. Ryuuji turned around in his seat with a frown on his face.  
"Can me and Noto join you and Yuusaku?" He asked with a grin. Ryuuji could only sigh and look to Kitamura, who had already raised his thumb into the air.

"Sounds good!" He exclaimed, grinning back at Haruta. Ryuuji sighed again.

'_This is going to be one hell of a trip.' _He thought to himself. _'What about Taiga, though? I know she'll be with Kushieda and Kawashima, but who's going to be the 4__th__ person?' _He could see the Taiga was thinking the same as him. This was going to be a tiresome trip, and they both knew it.

**Okay, this was a very short chapter with not a lot happening, but I finally managed to find something to write about. Yup. Their trip.  
I think I'll be able to get a few chapters out of the school trip, so it's a start to getting rid of this writers block, at least.  
Next chapter will most likely be up by next week ~**


	20. Chapter 19

**I've gotten myself into a better writing mood now. Maybe a little too good, seeing as I'm going to try and start a second fic. A Code Geass one, actually.  
I feel like I have to write something more tense too, but I will of course continue this one.**

"I don't want to be in room with the stupid Chihuahua!" Taiga yelled as she slammed her fist into the table, startling Ryuuji a little.

"Just be nice, and everything should be fine!" Ryuuji said, not even believing his own words at all. Whenever those two were together, there would always be some sort of commotion.

"I'm sure everyone will be nice to each other, Taiga-san," Yasuko added with a childish voice, which was almost like her trademark. Ryuuji's mother had always been a little air-headed, after all. _A little._

"But she's so.. so..!" Taiga was practically fuming as she furiously devoured her rice. Ryuuji already had enough to worry about, what with White Day being in one day. He hadn't really planned anything special, seeing as he had already given her gifts and all that, but he had promised to make it up for his mistake. All he could do was take her out on some really good date, was what Ryuuji thought. He couldn't come up with anything else, so that's what he'd have to do.

"Just calm down and finish your dinner, or else you're going to-"

"SECONDS!" Taiga interrupted Ryuuji, holding out her bowl. Ryuuji sighed with furrowed brows and gave Taiga another helping of rice. If it was this bad already, Ryuuji didn't even want to imagine how the trip would be.

'_I'll have to deal with that when the time comes._' Ryuuji thought to himself, a drop of sweat running down his temple.  
_'But right now, I have more important things at hand.'_

…

'_It's almost as I'm forcing Ryuuji to be romantic, when I am an utter failure at that point myself.' _Taiga sighed to herself while getting dressed. It was White Day, and she was sure that Ryuuji would do his best. After all, she'd practically forced him to. _'I'm such an idiot.'_

She had no idea what Ryuuji had planned, but she didn't bother too much with what she was wearing. She simply put on clothes that was casual to go around in, but that also looked at least a little good. It was a knee length summer dress with blondes on the straps, and tiny flower symbols covering the orange colored fabric. The weather was nice, so it shouldn't be a problem.  
_'I'll just have to hope he doesn't take me to some sort of amusement park in these clothes.'_ Taiga thought with a shrug. It was then that a knock at the door caught Taiga's attention.  
_'He's here.'_ She tiptoed over to the door, opening it carefully.

"A-ah, hello." Ryuuji said with a slightly nervous voice. He had a tendency to get like that when he felt that he had to do a good job with something he - well, something he wasn't very good with.  
"You look g-good." He uttered. Taiga frowned and looked down at her dress.

"You don't sound too sure about that, stupid dog." She said with her usual 'Taiga' tone. Ryuuji blushed and held a hand up.

"N-no, it's not like that! You really do look good, I'm just.. nervous, I guess." Ryuuji answered with a shaky voice, making it hard for Taiga not to giggle.

"I'm just kidding with you, Ryuuji." Taiga said with a laugh, making Ryuuji sigh in relief. Taiga ran back into her apartment to grab a few things before returning to Ryuuji.  
"Shall we go?" Taiga said with a smile, and Ryuuji nodded in consent. Taiga didn't know where he was taking her, so she just went wherever he went. To begin with, they went to decent restaurant, and had some good food. Nothing really special about it, but at least Taiga was enjoying herself.

"So, who's the third person to share rooms with you on the trip?" Ryuuji asked, commonly keeping up conversation. This earned a displeased huff from Taiga.

"With the number of girls in our class, there had to be 1 room with only 3 girls, and that's our room. At least I'll have Minorin." She said with a frown on her face. Ryuuji sighed a little, but didn't take the matter any further. After finishing dinner, they went outside.

"Where are we going now?" Taiga asked, looking up at Ryuuji. It didn't really matter how good he made the date for her, as long as she could spend time with him, was what she thought. But of course, she didn't actually tell him that.

"Well, I was thinking of- Wait.." Ryuuji widened his eyes a little as he looked at the sky. "I felt something hit my arm.. There it is again!" He looked down on his arm and saw a drop of water running down it.  
"No.."

Taiga looked at him with a confused expression.  
"What is it?"

"No, no, no, no!" Ryuuji looked desperately around for some place to hide, but they'd ended up in a park, and the nearest roof was more like 10 minutes away.  
"It's going to rain!" Ryuuji exclaimed with panic all over his face. Ryuuji didn't even doubt that the date would be ruined now.

"Then we'll run!" Taiga practically shouted, sounding as if she thought it was a challenge. Ryuuji nodded, and they started running towards the closest café. It was only a matter of seconds before the rain started pounding onto the ground. They were practically soaked already, but the kept running.

"In this state, we'll both catch a cold!" Ryuuji shouted in desperation. He had never liked untidy rooms, messes or colds. _Or mold. _But that didn't matter now, because the cold was pretty threatening at that moment. Ryuuji abruptly stopped in his tracks when he heard a slipping sound behind him. He turned only to see Taiga crashing towards the ground. Luckily for he, she was falling towards Ryuuji.

"Got you!" Ryuuji exclaimed as he grabbed the falling body. He felt relieved, until his own legs gave way underneath him.  
"Crap!"  
He fell back first into a pond of water, Taiga landing over him.  
"Argh!"

"A-are you okay?" Taiga asked, sitting over Ryuuji's legs, looking into his eyes. Ryuuji flinched a little from the pain to his head.

"Okay.. definitely catching a cold." He groaned. Taiga looked at him with a bewildered expression before breaking into laughter. Ryuuji didn't really understand to begin with, but he couldn't help but laugh himself.  
"Maybe we should.. get up?" Ryuuji asked, and Taiga smirked at him.

"Not yet. This is punishment for messing up our date."

"But it wasn't my fault!" Ryuuji uttered, and Taiga smiled even more.

"I don't care, I'll punish you anyway." She said, and she didn't make any sign to move off of him.

"Yeah.. definitely catching a cold." Ryuuji sighed and closed his eyes, feeling the raindrops tapping at his forehead. In a sense, Ryuuji felt that the rain became comfortable as soon as he was completely drenched. Getting drops of water thrown at your dry skin was somehow uncomfortable, but if ones skin is already wet, it feels different.

"The rain really does feel relaxing when you're already drenched though, doesn't it?" Taiga asked while looking up at the sky. Ryuuji twitched his eyebrow a little, surprised by the fact that he was just thinking the same.

"Yeah, I guess it does." Ryuuji agreed. It was almost as if he didn't feel the water beneath him anymore either. Suddenly, he felt like he was drifting away. Like he and Taiga was all alone in the universe, just lying there. Ryuuji sat up so that he was facing Taiga, startling her a little.

"What are you do-" Taiga was interrupted by Ryuuji's lips carefully pushing up towards hers. It was simply an act of impulse, an impulse Ryuuji had no idea where came from. Ryuuji slowly pulled away from the kiss, looking into Taiga's eyes.

"Let's go home, yeah?" He asked, and Taiga nodded with a blush on her face. They both stood up and walked home in a normal pace, no longer caring about the rain. It took them about 30 minutes to get home to Ryuuji.  
"I'll go fill the bath for you, so you can take a bath first." Ryuuji said before he tapped into the bathroom. They had removed their socks to avoid the floor getting wet, but there was still a little water dripping off of their clothes.  
"Hey, Taiga! The bath is running, so you can get in." Ryuuji said as he was about to leave the bathroom. He stopped in his tracks, a little surprised, when he saw Taiga standing in the door. She was just standing there, like a mannequin, not moving at all.  
"B-bath.." Ryuuji said, trying to make Taiga move out of the way.

"Yeah. Bath." Taiga said, looking like she was severely, emotionally damaged, but this was just a façade to hide the giant blush about to creep up on her face. She put a hand on Ryuuji's chest and pushed him carefully back into the bathroom.  
"Together."

Ryuuji widened his eyes at her remark, almost panicking.  
"Taiga, what are you-"

"It's only so none of us has to wait for too long – I don't want any of us to get a more horrible cold than the other." Taiga said, looking down to cover her blush.

"But, Taiga.." Ryuuji said, having no idea what to do.

"It's only a bath, idiot." Taiga mumbled.

'_What do I do now?' _Ryuuji thought, but he didn't have time to do anything before Taiga had already closed the door behind them.  
"Taiga.." He uttered, but couldn't get out any more words.

"Turn around." Taiga said with a stern, embarrassed voice. Ryuuji glared at her for a while before realizing what she meant. He nodded and turned around, and it felt as if his throat was about to choke up as he heard a wet piece of cloth fall to the ground.

'_What the hell do I do?'_

**I did not.. plan for that. I don't know why I wrote that, so please don't judge me. D: It was going to end with Taiga getting into the bath alone but oh my god, I have no idea what happened, my fingers just wrote that by themselves.  
I am so sorry. Honestly though, as Taiga said, it's only a bath, BUT STILL.  
I'm wondering if only that was too 'ecchi' for the rating I have on this fic. **_**I hope not**_**. Anyways, the next thing I upload will probably be the first chapter of my Code Geass fic, but relax, I will keep writing this one regularly too.**


	21. Chapter 20

**I just found out that I was accepted into the school I wanted in on, so I am overly happy right now.  
'And thus, through my happiness, a new chapter came forth' ~  
Or something like that.**

That night, Ryuuji had a dream. He dreamt that the hotel they were going to had burned down, so they had to go on a skiing trip instead, up in some mountain lounge. Of course, that was only a dream. At the moment, Ryuuji found himself in Taiga's apartment. He was there together with his own group for the school trip, and Taiga's group. That counted Ryuuji, Taiga, Minori, Ami, Kitamura, Noto and Haruta.

They had gotten an assignment where they were supposed to make a brochure about the resort they were going to in Okinawa. They had gotten pretty far with the assignment already, they only missed a couple of details. At one point, Noto had looked at Ryuuji with a surprised expression.

"Hey, Ryuuji," he had started, "if you're Taiga's neighbor, does that mean you live in this huge apartment complex too?"

Ryuuji sighed and pulled his fringe in front of his eyes, looking a little grim.  
"No, I live in the house next doors," He retorted, "anyways, I'll go make some tea." Ryuuji stood up and skipped his feet into the kitchen, Minori following after.

"I'll help you, Takasu-kun!" Minori exclaimed with an enthusiastic smile. Ryuuji nodded gratefully at her before he started boiling the water.  
"Where are the cups in this place?" Minori asked, before thinking, "Oh, you probably wouldn't know eith-" She was interrupted by Ryuuji's grin.

"They're in the top left cupboard." He said with a monotone voice, and Minori looked a little surprised. Ryuuji sighed.  
"I've cooked in this kitchen a couple of times."

"Oh, I see," Minori smiled deviously at him, making him look a little scared. "Someone spends a lot of time with Taiga ~" She smirked, doing a spin before retrieving the cups from the cupboard. Ryuuji turned back to the kettle to hide the tiny blush that appeared on his face.

"A-anyways, let's take this tea out in the living room," he stuttered, putting it all on a tray.

There was only 2 days left until the trip at this point. Different people had different opinions on it. Ryuuji couldn't really deny the fact that he was kind of looking forward to it, but he also felt that it could turn out to be extremely tiresome. Even so, he'd just have to live with it.

…

"I've frozen down 1 week worth of food, so help yourself, Yasuko!" Ryuuji said loudly from the hallway. All he earned from his hung over mother was a groan and a _"Thank you, Ryuu-chan."_

Ryuuji sighed and picked up his bag, tossing it over his shoulder. He wasn't the person to bring lots of stuff to a trip, only the necessary clothing and some towels and a swimming short. And of course, he'd brought the lunch for that day, for him and Taiga.

He put on his shoes and silently left the house, walking into the street below. There stood Taiga with a huge bag by her side, to no surprise. Ryuuji sighed and walked up to her.

"Something tells me I'm carrying that," Ryuuji said with an almost depressed tone, and Taiga smirked at him. She stood up on her toes and left a quick kiss on Ryuuji's lips, and he sighed.  
"Yup. I'm definitely carrying that." He said reluctantly and picked up Taiga's bag. The worst part is, it wasn't even heavy. She had just stuffed it with unnecessary, light clothing. Taiga smiled and ran to Ryuuji's free arm, clinging into it. Ryuuji was still trying to get used to the fact that he had a pretty affectionate girlfriend. He was kind of surprised that she was able to be like that without getting embarrassed after the 'events' that happened a week before, after a certain rainy incident.  
Ryuuji was a boy, but he still owned a high sense of morality, so he wasn't honestly prepared for something like that.

"I think I'm actually kind of looking forward to this trip," Taiga said happily, "as long you're there to protect me from the stupid Chihuahua."

"It's not like I can be with you 24/7, you know," Ryuuji sighed, "We have to sleep in our own rooms after all."

"Hmpf!" Taiga scoffed, before pulling at Ryuuji to make him quicken his pace. They were supposed to take the train to Okinawa, and the class had been told to meet up at the train station. They still had 45 minutes before they had to be there, but Ryuuji was usually the kind of person who wanted to be there in good time, and so was Taiga in this situation. After about 15 minutes, they had arrived at the station. There were already a few people from their class there, and it was seemingly the girls that carried around the most luggage.

'_Big surprise,'_ Ryuuji thought. It wasn't long before the rest of the class had arrived, and not long after that again that they were sitting on the train. They basically sat close to the people they were going to share rooms with, as that was only natural.

"Ryuu-tan!" Haruta exclaimed, "We have a little surprise for when we get to the hotel!" He said with a smirk, and Ryuuji looked a little nervous.

"It's going to be awesome." Noto whispered, smirking at Haruta. Ryuuji didn't even want to picture what they had in mind. Those two had a tendency of doing some stupid crap at times. Now, most of Ryuuji's classmates had pretty much gotten the hint that Taiga and Ryuuji were together, but what Taiga was about to do didn't really lower those suspicions.

"W-what are you doing?" Ryuuji stuttered as Taiga came over to him from her seat with a frown on her face, sitting down on his lap with her arms crossed. Haruta and Noto could only glare at them, slightly surprised.

"The stupid Chihuahua is being mean." Taiga muttered, closing her eyes in annoyance. Ryuuji sighed and furrowed his brows a little.

'_This is going to be a long trip.'_

…

3 hours later, they'd finally arrived at the station in Okinawa. From there, it was only a 10 minute bus ride to their hotel. The trip had went fairly good, except from the scratch marks on Ami's face, from a pissed off little tiger. When the bus arrived outside of the hotel, most students were very enthusiastic about getting to their rooms. After each group had gotten assigned room numbers and keys, they went to their rooms one by one, which also meant for Ryuuji to carry Taiga's bag to her room. After dropping it off there, he went to his own room to drop of his bag.

The trip there had been tiring, so most of the time after that was spent just relaxing in their rooms. They were going to be there for 5 days, so they had plenty of time to get stuff done the next couple of days.

"Hey, guys," Kitamura said, his eyes focused on some speakers in the corner of the room. "Does anyone have a cable that can do a speaker-to-phone transaction?" He asked, and Noto came up to him with a thin cable. Kitamura smiled and pulled out his MP3 player. "As long as we don't play it too loud, it should be fine." He smirked, putting the cable in. Ryuuji's taste in music was quite different from popular opinion, so he wasn't too sure about this.

'_As long as it's not any kind of bad pop with auto-tuned singers'_ Ryuuji thought with a frown, hoping that Kitamura was the kind of person with a little sense in his head. You could say that he was fairly surprised to hear that the first song on Kitamura's playlist was some sort of trash metalcore band.

"You listen to this kind of music?" Ryuuji asked in surprise, and Kitamura gave him a thumbs up. Looked like Ryuuji had new things to learn every day. Though he had to admit that the music wasn't half bad.

"I'm hungry," Haruta muttered, and it wasn't long before they found themselves in the dinner lounge. They settled for some sandwiches, only to quench their hunger.

"Tomorrow, we're eating at a McDonalds or something!" Haruta exclaimed with a voice that made it clearly obvious that he was dissatisfied with his dinner. At the same time, they heard a violent roar coming from the lobby. They all hurried out there, curious about what was going on.

"You have got to be kidding.." Ryuuji muttered under his breath, his face completely beaten. Right there, in the middle of the lobby, was Ami. She was running after Taiga with what seemed like a hairbrush in her hand, and Taiga was laughing her wits out while running from the furious Ami.

"What did she do now?" Noto sighed, scratching his head.

"Yup. Definitely going to be a tiresome trip. Guys, pray for me." Ryuuji sighed. Haruta looked at Ryuuji, and saw that he was getting ready to step in.

"Good," Haruta smirked, "This is starting to look like Battle Royale already."  
Ryuuji looked at him for a while before shaking his head and turning his focus back to the commotion in front of him. After gathering a little courage, he started walking towards the furious Ami.

"Hey, Kawashima, let's all just calm-"

"_CRACK!" _The other boys winced as they saw Ryuuji's plump body crashing into the floor.

"That looks painful!" Noto exclaimed, while Kitamura only laughed.

"You can do it, Takasu!" Kitamura shouted, and Ryuuji lifted an arm up in the air.

"Y-yeah.. Sure."

**I don't even know what I wrote in the end there. I'm tired, and my creativity is kind of weird, but it was comic relief, I guess.  
Of course, more exciting things will happen on this trip. :3**


	22. Chapter 21

**I feel that I've been a little sloppy on this story lately, but I'll try to pull myself together. I can't say I'm extremely happy with the outcome of the last couple of chapters.  
Warning : This chapter contains a more intense love scene than any former chapter. I ensure you that it contains no nudity or clear sexual themes, it's just a little more intense.**

It didn't exactly take long. One day was all it took before Ryuuji had taken a punch to the face by a furious Kawashima Ami, and you can't exactly say he had his hopes up for the rest of the time they were going to spend at the resort.

Not long after that incident, their teacher Yuri, had come running into the lobby completely in panic at the fuzz happening in front of her. She had made sure to break up the fight in fear that the hotel manager would be mad at her, and so, everyone had calmed down.

At that point in time, Ryuuji was being supported up the stairs by a laughing Kitamura.  
"Holy crap, that Kawashima packs a good punch," Ryuuji groaned as he held a hand in front of his nose. Ami had literally sent her fist straight into Ryuuji's nose when he tried to stop her from attacking Taiga, and it had been painful.

After the incident, Taiga had panicked about Ryuuji's injury and insisted to follow them back to their room. She had also sworn vengeance upon Ami for what she had done, even though it was technically Taiga who had started it. What she had done, she didn't bother telling.

Other than that, the mood around the hotel seemed good, and the whole class seemed to be having fun. Well, if you don't count the little discussion Noto and Maya had in the lobby not long after Ryuuji had been hit.  
From the looks of it, it was pretty obvious that Noto had a little crush on Maya. No big deal, though.

After a long while of stumbling up the stairs, they had finally reached their room. Noto and Haruta had gone on ahead and were already inside. As soon as they all got inside the room, Haruta took one look at Ryuuji and broke into laughter.

"Ryuu-tan!" Haruta exclaimed with a hand on his stomach, pointing at Ryuuji with the other, "You look even worse now than right after you got hit!"  
He kept laughing, while Ryuuji only gave him a frown.

"I have blood in my mouth," Ryuuji muttered under his breath as he slumped down on the couch, Taiga quickly following after. No one bothered to ask what she was doing there. It seemed that most people had gotten used to the fact that the two of them were always together.

"I'll get you something to drink," Noto sighed, no one noticing the little wink he gave Haruta, "Anyone else want anything?"  
Everyone in the room nodded, making Noto sigh again.  
_'Glad I brought enough,'_ he thought to himself, _'though Taiga and Ryuuji are the only ones who doesn't know'._

After a while, Noto came out with soda for everyone, all in big glasses.  
"Did you go shopping already?" Ryuuji asked with a bewildered expression before accepting his drink.

"Ah, no, I brought some from my house," Noto smiled before sitting down. Ryuuji took a big sip out of his soda, before shrugging a little.

"Tastes a little weird," he muttered, and Taiga nodded in agreement after taking a sip too. Neither of them noticed the smirks on the others' faces.  
It didn't take long before both Taiga and Ryuuji had finished their glasses, and Noto had given them a refill, which too disappeared pretty quickly. It was only then that Taiga started acting weird.

"Ryuuji," she muttered, "I'm not feeling well."  
Taiga tried to stand up, but stumbled onto the floor instantly. Ryuuji furrowed his brows before standing up to help her, but he suddenly felt dizzy.

"'the hell," he groaned, stumbling slightly, earning a snicker from Noto.

"Ryuu-tan ~" Haruta said with a teasing voice. Ryuuji turned towards him, and Taiga stood up next to him, also looking towards Haruta.

"No way.." Ryuuji muttered, putting his palm to his forehead. In his hand, Haruta held a bottle of what seemed to be whiskey, which had been partially emptied.  
"Y-you're going to be in trouble you know," Ryuuji said, his voice sounding all slurry and messed up. "The Student Council president is here!" He exclaimed before falling straight onto his butt.

"Sorry, Takasu-kun," Kitamura laughed, "Even the student council president is allowed to have a little fun."  
Ryuuji had trouble making out the situation. It seemed horrible at first, but he understood that the others only did it for fun. The problem was Taiga. With her petite body, she would have big problems handling that amount of alcohol.

Furthermore, they were on a school trip. Ryuuji couldn't even imagine the trouble they would be in if they were caught. He was definitely getting back at them for this, somehow. Before he could do anything, though, Kitamura, Haruta and Noto had slipped out of the room with big grins on their faces.  
They were probably going off somewhere else to get drunk.

"What's going on, Ryuuji?" Taiga muttered while looking over at Ryuuji. Apparently, she hadn't really understood what had happened.  
She stumbled over to him, shutting her hands around his arm. Obviously she was more drunk than Ryuuji.  
"Why do I feel so weird?"

Ryuuji sighed and looked around the room one more time before scratching his head.  
"Those idiots," he said with a drowsy voice, "put booze in our drinks."  
Taiga looked at him with a bewildered expression before falling onto the floor.

"I can't even stand," she said with a giggle, and Ryuuji couldn't help but laugh, too. He was angry, but staying cool while drunk isn't the easiest task in the word.

"I feel like such a delinquent," Ryuuji sputtered, "even though I didn't do this on purpose."  
He stumbled over to help Taiga up. It took some time for her to even be able to grab onto his hand so he could pull her up.  
"We only have to make sure we stay in the room, so no one finds out," he mumbled, shifting his feet over to the couch. He let his body slump down on the couch, just lying there on his back.  
"H-how can people *hick* like being like this?" he stuttered, closing his eyes.

"I don't know," Taiga said with a weird voice, "but I feel like laughing all the time." She stumbled over the couch and dropped herself down over Ryuuji, looking in his eyes with a sheepish grin on her face.  
"Gimme a kissh," she said with a drowsy voice.

"How do you do that?" Ryuuji asked with a confused expression.  
Taiga sighed and pushed herself up a little with her right hand, looking into Ryuuji's eyes, trying to stay serious.

"Like thi-" she couldn't keep talking as her hand slipped and her entire weight fell to the right, off the couch and onto the floor.  
Taiga let out a displeased groan as she hit the floor. As Ryuuji turned sideways to find out what happened, he fell out himself, and he barely managed to put his arms by Taiga's sides, supporting himself.

Taiga was tiny, and Ryuuji weighed a lot more than her. Even if he was drunk, he knew that it wouldn't go well if his entire weight fell onto Taiga.  
He supported himself with his arms, his body floating above Taiga. She just snickered up at him.

"This is just like that time," she said with a giggle, clearly indicating that she wasn't close to sober, "the night of the Christmas party, remember?"

Ryuuji furrowed his brows a little bit.  
_'What is she talking about?' _he thought to himself, though it didn't take him long to remember.

_"Come over here for a second." She said, suddenly. Ryuuji looked a little confused, but he crawled on all four around the table, facing Taiga. She stared at him for a moment before she pinched his cheek._

_"Foolish little dog! An owner is supposed to look after its dog, not the other way around!" She pulled his cheek back and forth. Ryuuji flinched a little._

_"Argh!" His eyes widened as his arm disappeared under his body and he lost his balance. He fell forwards, pushing Taiga down with him._

_"Argh.." Taiga opened her eyes slowly, feeling a little pain in the back of her head. "That hurt, stupid do-"_

_She suddenly froze, seeing Ryuuji right above her. He managed to stop himself from falling completely, supporting one hand on the floor on each side of Taiga._

_He looked at her, dumbfounded, feeling the blood rise through his cheeks and to the tip of his ears. Taiga started blushing too, staring at Ryuuji, not able to do a thing. "R-ryuuji.."_

_Ryuuji stared blankly into her eyes for a little while before snapping back to his senses._

_"I'm sorry, I-!" he stopped, not sure what to say further. He hadn't moved yet, though. A tear appeared in the corner of Taiga's eye. "Ryuuji.." she said with a shaky voice._

_He looked nervous. "Taiga, are you hurt? Did you hit your head? I'm so so-" he was interrupted by Taiga's voice rising a bit._

_"Ryuuji..!" He stopped abruptly, looking at her with a confused face. "Taiga..?" His voice sounded dumbfounded. Taiga started talking, more tears flowing from her eyes._

Oh yes, he remembered. How could his memory be so strong when he was drunk? Maybe it was because of the situation being re-enacted.  
It was that night it had all started, after all. It was that night they shared their first kiss, the start to all that would happen between the two of them.  
And all of a sudden, Ryuuji had an urge. He didn't even feel drunk anymore, he just wanted to be with that one person. The person he loved.

"Taiga.." Ryuuji muttered, staring into her eyes. She looked a little surprised by his sudden change of behavior.

"What's wrong?" Taiga asked. A muffled moan escaped her lips as Ryuuji suddenly kissed her, cupping her face with his hand. Taiga, caught by surprise, put a hand on Ryuuji's shoulder and pushed him a little back. Ryuuji broke the kiss and looked at her with a blush on his face.

"I-I'm sorry." He muttered, looking regretful. Taiga just stared at him with an open mouth, her eyes shifting constantly from his eyes to his lips. Her face was red, and she was breathing heavily.  
Ryuuji was just about to say something when Taiga wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into another deep kiss, this time catching Ryuuji by surprise.

There were less restraints now that they were actually drunk, and it didn't take long before their tongues intertwined with each other, playing back and forth in their mouths. They no longer had any control of what happened, as they only searched for the warmth of each other's presence. Ryuuji didn't know when Taiga had wrapped her legs around his waist, he just knew that she had.

Not really noticing it, Ryuuji's hips were being pulled towards Taiga, pushing at her waist. The intensity of the entire situation had Taiga moaning in a high pitch between the kisses, not even bothering to keep it in.  
Though they were both drunk, they knew each other's limits. Ryuuji wouldn't go too far, nor would Taiga. They still had control, they had just let go more than usual.  
Ryuuji had noticed that Taiga had started to slowly grind her hips in a circular motion, but he didn't pay much attention to it. His attention was focused on the kissing, but it wasn't long before his hips were moving in tact with Taiga.

This really wasn't the result Ryuuji had expected from getting drunk, but he didn't mind it. Neither did Taiga.  
"Ryuuji," Taiga muttered between their kisses, "I love you.."  
Ryuuji used his thumb to remove a strand of hair from Taiga's eyes, gently striking it behind her hair.

"I love you too," he said with a gentle voice, but his breath was ragged from the intense kissing and the constant movement.  
_'I really don't mind this.'_

"Oy, Ryuu-tan, have you-" Haruta stopped in his tracks as he entered the room with Noto, Kitamura, Maya and some of the other girls behind him.  
"Never mind!" He laughed as they all left the room, shutting the door closely.

Ryuuji jumped off Taiga in panic, looking all around the room.  
They could clearly hear the girls outside, giggling in embarrassment and amusement, and they could also hear what happened inside. A ferocious tiger was on the loose.

"**Why didn't you lock the door?"**

"It's not like I thought any of this would happen!"

"**Idiot!"**

**Yeah, I put in the warning for a reason. I'm sorry if it got too intense, but I was in a fluff mood. A more intense fluff mood than usual.  
Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter. This was more a filler, obviously.  
HOLY FLUFFINESS ~**


	23. Chapter 22

**Terribly long delay on this chapter, and for that I'm sorry, but I fell terribly ill, and now I've started school. I will do my best to update this story more frequently, but now I also have school, so we'll see how it goes.**

It was morning – Well, for some people, at least. It was closer to midday, but some people had just woken up.  
"Ah, crap," Noto muttered, holding his right hand firmly pressed towards his forehead. "Let's get drunk on a school trip, great idea!" He exclaimed with bitter sarcasm.

"Don't act as if it wasn't your idea," Ryuuji retorted as he placed a tray down on the table in front of Kitamura, Noto and Haruta. "Drink up."

"How do you know how to deal with hangovers anyways, Takasu?" Kitamura asked as he had a taste of the white-like hot drink in the mug he had taken.  
Ryuuji swallowed a lot of his drink, already feeling it ease off on his headache, before answering.

"My mom is a hostess, so she usually comes home drunk. I make this for her pretty often," he said, emptying his mug. He was curious as to how Taiga was doing. "What happened last night, anyways?" Ryuuji said, before correcting himself bitterly, "I mean, after you guys practically spiked our drinks with booze."

"Well," Haruta started with a smug look on his face, "You and Aisaka-san were pretty much getting it on before we came into the room and then-" he was interrupted by Kitamura's hand shutting his mouth.

"I think that's enough," Kitamura said with a nervous laugh, earning a sigh from Ryuuji.

"You guys are such idiots," Ryuuji grumbled, "What else could you expect after getting a very affectionate girl drunk? It was bound to end up like that."

"Almost as if your inner desires were unleashed ~"

"Shut up."

…

Her head was literally pounding as she heaved herself up from her kneeling position over the toilet. She could only remember pieces of the night before, but she knew that it couldn't be anything good.  
Taiga pretty much understood that someone had set that up for them, and it pissed her off. She knew Ryuuji wasn't the type to drink, what with his mother and all.

She was alone in the room at that time, as the other girls had let her sleep in, and they had headed out somewhere. Taiga was practically dragging her body towards the kitchen, and she jumped a little as she heard a knock at the door.  
"Jeez, everything is so loud," she muttered, looking towards the door with tired eyes.

"I'm coming," Taiga muttered, heading towards the door. She opened it slowly, not even bothering how she looked in her pajamas and completely messed up hair.

"You don't look too good," the voice said, but she was too beaten up to really pick up on anything. "I brought this," the voice, continued, but Taiga didn't respond. "Taiga?" Someone started shaking her shoulders. "Taiga?"

"Eh," Taiga uttered as she snapped awake, looking up at Ryuuji. He was holding a thermos in his hand, apparently waiting to be invited in.  
"Ah, Ryuuji," Taiga said, not sounding very enthusiastic, "come in."  
She turned around and walked back towards the kitchen, efficiently hiding the blush on her face as Ryuuji's face made her remember what had happened the night before.

"As I said," Ryuuji called from behind her, "I brought this. You should drink it."  
He walked over to the kitchen next to Taiga and found a cup, pouring the hot drink into it. Taiga really needed it, it seemed, seeing as how she looked completely beaten. "Here." He said, handing a mug to her. She took it carefully, her hands shaking, and she sat down by the table.

"Thanks," Taiga muttered under her breath, slowly trying out the drink as Ryuuji sat down on the opposite side of the table. They sat in silence as Taiga drank Ryuuji's anti-hangover potion. After she finished, Ryuuji got up and put the mug in the wash. Afterwards, he turned towards Taiga, standing by the kitchen bench on a distance.

"So.. about what happened last night.." Ryuuji started, but he didn't get any further.

"Nooo!" Taiga screamed as she leapt from her chair, her fist slung into the air.  
Ryuuji widened his eyes as the furiously blushing girl came flying towards him.

"Aaah!"

…

"That shop was amazing!" Kushieda exclaimed, several plastic bags in her hands. She was together with Ami on shopping, and they had just finished inside of a big clothing store, both seemingly pleased with the results.

"Yeah, I actually found some really cute clothes in there," Ami said with a grin, her fingers clenching the bags in her hands. If it was one thing Kawashima Ami took seriously, it was clothes. "Hey, want to head down to the beach? The weather is nice." Ami said with a smile.

Obviously, Kushieda was pretty surprised. She herself used to be very cheerful and positive, but she wasn't used to being invited on a friendly event by Ami.  
She flashed one of her usual smiles as she used her serious-sounding-but-not-so-serious voice. "I would love to, Ami-tan, but let's drop of these clothes in our room first! Fight! Fight!" She turned around and started skipping towards the hotel resort, making Ami sigh.

"Always so energetic," She laughed to herself, following after Kushieda.  
"Do you think that idiot has woken up yet?" Ami asked as she caught up, referring to Taiga.

"I'm not sure. She was acting weird yesterday." Kushieda said with an overly philosophical voice. Ami sighed again, only hoping that Kushieda wasn't actually so stupid that she didn't understand that Taiga was drunk.  
Taiga. _Drunk_. That was unbelievably unexpected.  
She almost broke into a fit of laugh just remembering the night before.

"'_Ey!" Taiga exclaimed, stumbling into the room. "Why didn't you open at once, you stupid c-c-chifwaha!"_

"_It only took me ten seconds, you moron."_

"_Shuddup," Taiga groaned, dragging her feet across the floor. Kushieda gave her a weird look, but from the looks of it she was struggling not to laugh.  
Taiga fell onto her bed, stylishly swiping down a lamp standing on the nightstand. "You're in my way, you stupid badoodle."_

"_Badoodle?" Ami asked as she picked the lamp back up._

"_Mhm.." Taiga mumbled, quickly falling asleep._

"_WAHAHAHAHAHA!"_

"_Calm down, Kushieda," Ami sighed._

After a while, they had both reached the hotel resort, and they were headed up to their room. They approached the door and opened it carefully in case Taiga was still asleep. They were met by something entirely else.

"Minorin!" Taiga's voice sounded, as if she was panicking.

"What is it, Taiga?" Kushieda asked hurriedly. Taiga was shaking, and she stuttered to get out her words properly.

"I-I-I've killed Ryuuji!" She exclaimed, looking as if she was about to cry.

"E-eh?" Ami looked at her, dumbfounded, and Kushieda was too shocked to even say anything.

"I'm not dead, you idiot!" A muffled voice sounded from the kitchen. Taiga screamed and ran back into the kitchen, while Kushieda and Ami just stood there.

"What.. was that?" Ami asked, and Kushieda shrugged.

"This day is weird," Kushieda muttered.

"You're alive!" Taiga's voice sounded from the kitchen, and one could barely hear Ryuuji's sighs and 'I'm okay'.

…

Kushieda ran forwards with great enthusiasm as always. Ami followed slowly behind, sighing. Behind her was Taiga frantically apologizing to Ryuuji who was holding an ice-bag to his eye.

"I'm fine!" Ryuuji muttered, but Taiga kept apologizing. She had gotten so embarrassed that she had actually hit him straight in the eye.  
After that he wasn't really in the mood for going to the beach, but Taiga had insisted that she wanted to make it up to him by taking him to the beach, and refused to take no for an answer. This was indeed going to be a stressing school trip.

**End of that chapter. I intend to make the next chapter a little more exiting somehow, and it'll most likely be on the beach. Again, sorry for the delay.**


	24. Chapter 23

**Finally got down to starting on the next chapter, and I must say sorry in advance – I'm in a mood for fluff, so this chapter will probably contain a very clingy Taiga.  
On the other hand, this will most likely be the most dramatic chapter so far in this story, depending on how I decide to write it.  
I hope you enjoy. :3**

It was a pretty place, Ryuuji couldn't exactly deny that. The weather was nice, with just a perfect amount of wind for his liking. The sand on the beach was light, and felt good to walk on.  
Ryuuji was more used to beaches with pebbles everywhere, and that was simply painful to walk on, but this was something different indeed.

The beach was partially crowded, especially by people from their class. The beach was probably what most people were looking forward to when going on a trip.

"Ah," Ryuuji breathed contently as he slumped down on a towel placed under a parasol. Minori and Kitamura had already made their way into the water, flailing around. Ryuuji couldn't help but laugh a little at how they looked out there.

On a towel next to Ryuuji was Ami. Taiga stood by the edge of the water, just watching and laughing at Minori and Kitamura as they were tossed around by the waves.

"I honestly don't understand how you're able to keep up with that girl," Ami muttered with closed eyes, sounding rude as usual. Ryuuji looked over at her and scoffed.

"It's not like you need to understand either," he muttered before turning his gaze back to the scene in front of him. At the moment, Kitamura was trying hopelessly to crawl back onto land, but he was mercilessly pulled back by Minori.

"But it bothers me," Ami continued, "Whenever I see you, I get the feeling you're only with her to make sure she's not alone."  
Ryuuji noticed that she almost sounded a little concerned, all of a sudden. "But you're hurting yourself by being with someone you don't want to be with."

Ryuuji looked at her for a moment. He just sized her up with his eyes, ending with glaring into her eyes with a totally unreadable expression. What was he looking for in her eyes? Sincerity?

"Then clearly," Ryuuji started, his voice soft and gentle. Before continuing, he turned his head to look back at Taiga who was smiling contently back at him from the edge of the water. "Then clearly you don't see everything all that well."

"What do you mean?" Ami huffed, her eyes open now, looking at Ryuuji. It was her time to size him up. She wanted to know if he was really truthful about everything he said.

"I used to think that I couldn't let Taiga be alone, because she'd only get hurt," Ryuuji started saying, "But I realized in the end that I couldn't let her be alone because _I_ wanted to be with her."

"What are you even implying?" Ami spat, the usual 'Ami'-tone back in her voice. She wouldn't in the blink of an eye believe that a boy would actually prefer that pissed off little girl before her, and it was pretty obvious that she liked Ryuuji in more ways than just as a friend.

"Taiga is.." Ryuuji muttered, trying to find the right words. His voice had lowered a little, and he sounded utterly serious about whatever it was he was about to say. "Taiga needs my help, and I need hers," he said with a clearer voice, "I'll make sure she gets food, and she makes sure I have someone to care for other than just my mother. She makes sure I stay human."

He didn't even make any sense to Ami right now – No, more like, she didn't want to understand him. Why couldn't he like her instead? She was sure that she could make him, over time.

"I love Taiga," Ryuuji said with a smile, looking down at the ground. He didn't really realize he'd said it, it just slipped from his lips, and he didn't really care. Ami looked genuinely surprised now, and she was just about to open her mouth when Taiga came running towards them, Minori and Kitamura behind her.

"Heeelp!" Taiga exclaimed, jumping towards Ryuuji. It seemed Minori and Kitamura wanted to get Taiga into the water, but she didn't exactly want to herself, even though she was wearing a swimsuit now.  
When she landed on Ryuuji's towel, she wrapped her arms around his waist and tried to hide from the 'evil people', as she'd muttered.

"Easy there," Ryuuji stuttered, a little surprised. Taiga had placed herself on top of Ryuuji. She lay over his stomach, her elbows resting on his chest as she smirked up at him.

"How's your eye?" She asked, her voice soft and caring. She really did change around Ryuuji sometimes.

"It's better," Ryuuji replied, not sounding too bothered with it. He was a little blue around the eye, but it was hard to notice. Taiga murmured something as she nuzzled her nose into his shirt.

"Sorry," her muffled voice sounded. Ryuuji rolled his eyes a little, a grin pulling at his lips.

"Don't worry about it," Ryuuji added, stroking the top of Taiga's head with his palm. He slowly rummaged her hair back and forth, earning a contented mutter from the girl.  
Ami looked over at them, and she noticed a look in Ryuuji's eyes that she hadn't really seen before. Maybe it really was love_. 'Hey, Ryuuji. Does your heart race when close to her, as mine does when close to you?'_

"Maybe we should throw them both in," Minori whispered to Kitamura, a cunning look on her face. He nodded in agreement, adjusting his glasses over his nose.

"On 3," he muttered, making himself ready. Minorin smiled evilly, taking a step forward. "1," Kitamura smiled, closing up on the two. They didn't see it coming. "2."

"What are you two..?" Ami started, but stopped herself once she saw what they were doing. This was going to be fun.

"3!" Kitamura shouted, pouncing forwards. Minorin did the same, picking up Taiga into her arms. Taiga started screaming uncontrollably, knowing what would come next. At the same time, Kitamura grabbed Ryuuji and started pulling him towards the water. He was definitely stronger than the blue-haired boy.

"Yûsaku, you-" Ryuuji grunted, trying to tear out of his grip. At this rate, he would get his shirt soaked. He heard a loud scream, which then got muffled by the sound of splashing water.  
_'Taiga!' _He screamed inwardly. _'I'm joining you!'_

He was slung into the air, actually pretty surprised by Kitamura's strength, though he didn't have much time to think about it before he broke the surface of the water. The taste of salt seeped into his mouth, but he managed to keep as much water out as possible.

He purposely stayed under for a while, letting the water seep through his t-shirt and bathing shorts. It was refreshing, though being tossed into water wasn't the most pleasant feeling, especially not after the incident in the swimming pool that one time.

After about 10 seconds, he decided to go back up. He was totally prepared for this to happen, in fact, and so he had removed everything from his pockets before going to the beach.  
When he came up, he was instantly pushed back down by a playful Taiga.

"Got you!" She exclaimed, laughing, hanging onto his back. Ryuuji started losing his balance, flailing his arms.

"I'm- I'm falling!" He muttered, tilting backwards. Taiga screamed a little before she fell under with Ryuuji. Not after long, they both breached the surface again, gasping for air.

"Idiot!" Taiga screeched, jumping on Ryuuji again, this time from the front. She bit down on his shoulder, playfully.

"It's not my fault!" Ryuuji retorted, his breath hitching when Taiga bit him.  
Taiga giggled as she lowered herself back into the water. It was close enough to land for her to stand, the water only reached her thighs.

"Hey!" They heard Kitamura calling from afar. They turned until they saw him, with Minori, standing on a giant, flat rock. "This place is great!" He exclaimed.

Taiga hesitated. "I'm not sure if-"

"Here." Ryuuji said hurriedly, turning his back to her. He held his arms behind his back, waving them. Taiga looked at him for a moment, bewildered.

"I'll carry you," Ryuuji added, smiling. Taiga giggled a little and jumped on his back. "Hold on tight," Ryuuji said as he started swimming. It was about 30 meters out to the rocks, and carrying Taiga out there was no big deal. When they got there, Ryuuji held onto one of the rocks so that Taiga could step on his head and get up on it.

"Up you go," Kitamura laughed as he pulled at Ryuuji's arm, helping him up. It was a nice view from out there, looking in at the beach. The water had stilled, and only a few drops splashed up on the rocks once in a while.

"Oy!" Minori exclaimed as she saw someone else swimming out to them. To Ryuuji's big surprise, it was Ami. She was a good swimmer, after all. It didn't take her long to reach them and get up on the rocks.

"What are you doing all the way out here?" She asked, catching her breath. Ryuuji just shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know. Seemed interesting."

"Oh well, works for me."

They didn't do much. They chatted for a while, sitting on the edge of the rocks, dipping their feet into the water. Even Ami enjoyed herself.

After about 30 minutes, the waves got higher, and they decided they should get back before it got bad.  
Ryuuji and Taiga were the last to go, since Ryuuji still had to carry her over.

It was then it happened. All too quickly, at that.  
"Taiga," Ryuuji said as he turned around to face her. She looked a little nervous.  
"Let's-" he stopped. Everything stopped. Out of nowhere, there was a huge wave sweeping over the rock, towards Taiga. She even had her back turned, and couldn't see it at all.

"Shit!" Ryuuji exclaimed, throwing himself towards Taiga. He barely managed to shield Taiga with his arms before the wave swept over them, slamming Ryuuji back first into the edge of the rock before pulling him into the water.

He still held on to Taiga. He'd shielded her with his body, and he got hurt in the process.

…

"Where's Aisaka-san and Takasu-kun?" Kitamura asked as they reached land. He couldn't see them in the water, or by the rocks. After scouting for a while, he saw something appearing by the side of the rock.

…

"Ryuuji!" Taiga cried, holding onto his limp body. She clamped her hands down on his shoulders, trying to hold him up. To a tiny girl like her, it was hard to carry him even in the water. They were constantly being rummaged around by the waves.

"Ryuuji," Taiga muttered again, sounding completely terrified. She felt a warm substance by her hands, and a red essence floated out into the water. _'Blood!'_

…

"_RYUUJI!"_

They heard the scream. They heard it so well.  
"Yû!" Minori shouted, looking over at him.

"Mi!" He nodded, and they both hurriedly made their way back into the water. They quickly swam towards the two figures in the water. None of them needed to think, they just acted on pure instinct.

…

'Please, don't die,' Taiga thought, tears flowing down her face and mixing with the salt water. '_You can't die like this, not for me!_'

"Taiga!" Minori shouted, grabbing her arm and pulling her away from Ryuuji, as Kitamura quickly grabbed his body and started swimming it towards land.  
"It's going to be okay, just stay calm!" Minori exclaimed, staring into Taiga's eyes. It was too late for that, obviously, as Taiga was panicking. Minori simply hauled her up on her back and made way back to the beach.

…

"Make way!" Kitamura shouted as he pulled Ryuuji up on land, hurriedly tearing off his shirt to check out the wound. It was just a little fling, definitely nothing to worry about, but Ryuuji was still blacked out.

"Ryuuji!" Taiga screamed as her and Minori reached the beach. She ran towards him, collapsing by his side, onto her knees. Kitamura was already next to him, still checking for other wounds. '_Please, don't let him have damaged his skull,_' He prayed to himself as he looked him over.

Taiga shook uncontrollably as she put a finger to Ryuuji's neck. Of course he wasn't dead, she thought, but she felt that she should do it anyway. She ran her finger over the side of his neck, not completely remembering where to put it, but she remembered quickly.

"Here," she muttered, pressing her finger towards the spot.

"…"

"Taiga?" Ami asked, as she was standing behind them.

"I-impossible.."

**Woah, that turned out even more dramatic than I'd planned. And cliffhanger, too! I'm not used to writing dramatic things, and especially not with my OTP.  
I do indeed have an ulterior motive, though. **_**Something fluffy.**_

**-Hysterical evil laugh-**


	25. Chapter 24

**I am terribly sorry for the big delay, but here's the new chapter.. I might have overdone the drama thing, eheheh ~**

"I-impossible," Taiga stuttered, holding her fingers pressed towards Ryuuji's neck. She felt her head starting to spin. She refused to believe any of it.

'_Not Ryuuji!'_  
The words raced through her head like an oncoming storm, about to ruin everything in its wake.  
_'Not in a million years are you allowed to take away my Ryuuji! He was meant to protect me, to take care of me.. Not die for me'!_

People had started gathering around, trying to see what had happened. But everything was going so fast, and no one had even considered the possibility of death. No one had noticed Taiga straddling his hips, slapping her tiny fists on his abdomen in hope of getting him back.

Now it's said that your life flashes before your eyes before you die, but this was different. Taiga's life was flashing – every moment she'd have with Ryuuji just spinning through her head.

_"This is unfair to you, and it is unfair to Minorin, but.. Ryuuji.. I don't want you to leave me. No matter who you spend your life with, I want to be able to see you, Takasu Ryuuji. I want to be able to walk by your side, even if it's too much to ask."_

_Her voice was shaking now, tears flooding uncontrollably. Ryuuji stared at her for a while, before he suddenly put his arms behind Taiga's back and pulled her into a gentle hug._

_"You're not alone, Taiga! I told you that day, didn't I? I'm a dragon, and you are a tiger. As a dragon, I am to be your equal, and to stay by your side forever. That's how it is, right?"_

_Ryuuji's voice was saddened, and his vision was blurred. Taiga sat there completely still for a while, tears still flowing from her eyes. After a while, she wrapped her arms around him._

_"Ryuuji!"_

"Ryuuji!" She yelled again, weakly hitting her fists against his chest. Realization was starting to wash over Kitamura and the others, and they were starting to understand what had happened. Kitamura was just about to pull Taiga away so that he could attempt to do CPR, but he never had time, because something happened.

Something, well – peculiar.

"Don't you dare leave me, you stupid dog!" Taiga shouted with a teary voice as she slammed her fist into Ryuuji's chest with a force that could send a grown man flying. In unison with her fist hitting home, Ryuuji broke into a fit of violent coughing, gulping up whatever water he'd inhaled earlier.

He hurriedly sat up, shocked and confused. It was completely quiet around him, and everyone was staring. Practically everyone who'd been at the beach was gathered around him now, but he didn't really notice that. What he focused on was Taiga, in front of him. She was sitting there with wide open eyes filled with tears, and her entire body was shaking.

"Idiot!" She suddenly exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Ryuuji's neck, hugging him as if desperately looking for comfort.

"I-it hurts," Ryuuji flinched, gritting his teeth.

"I don't care!" Taiga cried, just hugging him tighter. "You almost left me, so you owe me this much!"  
She managed to calm down a little, sulking quietly after a while. "You shouldn't have to get yourself hurt in order to protect me," She muttered silently, the tears falling a little slower from her eyes now.

Ryuuji started to gently stroke his hand through her wet hair, trying to comfort her. Everyone else was just staring in a mix of shock and relief.  
"It's not like I could help it," he breathed with a painful smile. "When I saw that wave come towards you, my body just reacted. I couldn't do anything about."

"Idiot," Taiga murmured, still clinging to him.

"We've got to get you an ambulance," Kitamura informed, a feeling of relief having washed over him. Ryuuji shook his head a little.

"I'll be fine. I'll have someone at the hotel tend to the wound, so don't think too much about it." He replied. Kitamura glared at him for a while, knowing that it wasn't a good idea, but at the same time knowing he wouldn't be able to convince Ryuuji otherwise.

"Fine," he said, smiling comfortingly. "We were really scared there for a moment," he said as Ryuuji stood up, supporting Taiga. Ryuuji looked at him with a frown for a while, before smiling.

"'course you were," he chuckled as he gaved Kitamura a hug, and Kitamura patted his back while making sure he didn't hit the wound.

"Don't ever do that again, okay?" Kitamura said more than asked, moving back from the hug as he did. Ryuuji nodded sternly, looking back at Taiga.

"I should probably get back to the hotel.. man, I'm exhausted." He muttered. "Dying isn't fun, I'll tell you."

"You sure you don't need to go the hospital?" Kitamura asked a little worried.

"I'll be fine."

…

Ryuuji and Taiga returned to the hotel after not long, and Ryuuji got patched up by their teacher. "Thanks, Sensei," he murmured as the bandage was in place and he's stood up. They were in a little infirmary, which luckily, was inside the hotel.

"Nothing to thank me for," Yuri laughed nervously, scratching her head. "I was taught some nursing long ago, so it wasn't too hard." She said. She suddenly looked a little stern. "But really, Takasu-san.. Are you sure you shouldn't go see a doctor? What you told me sounded pretty bad." She breathed.

Ryuuji only shook his head a little. Yuri sighed again. "What about Aisaka-san? How is she?" She asked softly, and Ryuuji smiled.

"She seems fine," he replied, getting ready to leave. "Don't worry too much about it. I'll take care of her."

"I'm afraid I'll have to send you home," Yuri murmured, seeming kind of sorry about it. Ryuuji turned around to face her.

"I know. I should probably be home and rest. I practically died just an hour ago."

"Yeah.. but if you need comfort.." She murmured. "I can excuse Aisaka-san from the rest of the trip too, and you two can leave on the bus together. If she would like that, of course."

Ryuuji widened his eyes just a tiny bit. "W-why exactly her?" He stuttered, his voice a little shaky.

"Well," Yuri giggled, holding a hand in front of her mouth. "You two are obviously very lovey-dovey ~"

"H-hey.." Ryuuji blushed, looking to the side. "You don't have to put it like that, you know. Aren't teachers supposed to like, be against that kind of stuff?"

Yuri frowned a bit. "I just want to make sure you don't end up like.. you know.." She swallowed heavily, her eyes getting darker. "Like me."

"That's harsh." Ryuuji uttered. "To yourself, I mean."

".. It's the simple truth."

"Eh.."

"Never mind."

"Okay."

…

Taiga had agreed to come along, if not even begged for it. She still had a bad conscience about making Ryuuji save her like that, and so she wanted to stay by his side – though she probably would have done so either way. They were sitting on the bus, in a kind of comfortable silence that not most people are able to share.

"Ryuuji.." Taiga muttered after a while, breaking the before mentioned silence. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize anymore," Ryuuij breathed, furrowing his brows a little. "It's not like it's your fault that you were attacked by a giant wave."

"But still.." Taiga pouted, puckering her lips a little.

"It's fine," Ryuuji chuckled patting her head. Because it was fine. It really was.

…

They'd gotten back after a few hours, and Ryuuji had returned to his house. He would explain things to his mother, but she wasn't home at the moment, but he knew that that day was an early day for her, so she would be back soon. Taiga had returned to her apartment to get a couple of things and unpack her bags.

Ryuuji was resting in his room, obviously very fatigued after what had happened. He groaned lowly, rubbing his temples right before he heard a loud sound from his window – coming from Taiga's apartment. He opened his eyes, looking in the direction of the commotion, hearing Taiga shouting at someone.

Ryuuji ushered over to the balcony, opening it up. The shouting was over, and Taiga came over to the window with a grim look on her face as she opened it.

"What's going on?" He asked with a worried expression on his face, having absolutely no idea what could make Taiga react like that. Had something happened?

"My dad is selling the apartment," she muttered under her breath, looking down. "I have to move out."

Ryuuji widened his eyes a little. "W-where?"

"I guess my dad is trying to force me back home."

**Again, extremely sorry for the delay. . I put in yet another piece of drama in the end here, but I just want to inform you – this story isn't a tragedy, and nothing will end badly. I think. But this probably won't. xD**


	26. Chapter 25

**Wow, I'm really slacking off lately. I'm going to try and be more effective, but please forgive me ~**

"I guess he's trying to force me back home." Taiga replied, putting emphasis on the word _home_, and her eyes had a certain – well, blankness in them. As if she was dead, or something even worse.

Ryuuji could do nothing but just stand there for a while, staring at her. His eyebrows quirked from now and then, and he was having a hard time taking in her words. Move home? Home to her father? The father that had already thrown her away twice? No way. Ryuuji didn't want to let Taiga live with such a man – and that was for Taiga's sake.

But he also felt a selfish thought creep into his subconscious. The last time her father had tried to take her back, Ryuuji had helped, but this time was different. There was another reason he wanted her to stay. "I don't want you to live far away from me." Ryuuji blurted out with a monotone voice, his expression not really changed from before. He didn't really realized he'd said it either.

"Eh." Taiga gulped, and her expression had now changed a lot from her dead expression before. Her cheeks were slowly being stained with a deep red, and her body started shaking. "W-why would you say that?" She asked, again swallowing heavily. It was as if she'd forgotten how shaken up she was.

Ryuuji quirked his eyebrow, trying to think of an answer to his words, his own, unexpected words. "I-I don't know." He muttered, putting a finger to his chin. "I just.. Taiga, I don't think I'd be comfortable with you not living close to me. I want to make sure you eat properly, and that you do your homework." He said while remembering how far away her father actually lived. She'd probably have to transfer schools, too. "And I don't want to be away from you because – Well, because I love you. And not being close to you has come to make my stomach twist and turn, and I don't like that." He breathed.

Ryuuji was looking down at the moment, but at the time he looked back up it was too late. Taiga was in the air – literally. She'd put her foot on the window frame and pounced from the window, hurling head-first towards Ryuuji. Ryuuji was only able to let out a half-assed gasp before her hands landed perfectly around his shoulders, a little less perfectly sending him crashing into through the opening of the balcony and inside his room.

"Ryuuji!" Taiga wailed, her entire body lying flat out on top of his. Ryuuji was gritting his teeth, rubbing the back of his head.

"Agh.. what are you.." He groaned, slowly opening his eyes to see a crying Taiga looking straight at him. She wasn't even trying to hide her face, she was just looking straight into his eyes. The tears were building up in her eyes, to then slide down her rosy cheeks.

"I was trying to seem strong and cool about it, you idiot!" She cried, her hands clutching tightly at the shirt above Ryuuji's chest. "I was trying to be cool, but then you just went ahead and said all that, and now.. now.. There's no way I can live away from you, my stupid little dog!" She wailed, burying her face in his chest.

And there wasn't a hint of happiness in her voice. There wasn't a trace of joy or fun, because the thought of leaving Ryuuji was crushing her into a million pieces, and she couldn't take it. She couldn't handle it in a million years, because she'd grown to love that boy so much. That boy that had always been there for her, both when she needed it and when she didn't. And now it felt as if he wouldn't manage without her either. For once, she felt like she needed to be there to take care of Ryuuji, and to make sure that he didn't change. To make sure that he kept being the Ryuuji she knew. _Her_ Ryuuji.

"T-then.." Ryuuji stuttered, completely taken aback by Taiga's outbreak. "Then, what are we supposed to do?" He asked, swallowing heavily to hold the tears back. Yes, even Ryuuji can cry, despite how his eyes look.

"I don't know.." Taiga said, her voice muffled from the fabric of Ryuuji's shirt. "We have to figure out something.. but first I'll probably have to talk to my dad." She sighed, her voice a little calmer and less sulkier than before. Ryuuji only nodded lightly, putting a hand on Taiga's back as if to comfort her.

…

It was the first time in a long time, that Ryuuji had decided to have a talk with his mother. A long talk, to put it bluntly. Taiga had left to call her father a while ago, and Ryuuji was left alone in the house. He was sitting by the table, a cup of green tea in front of him. There was one on the other side of the table too, as he knew that Yasuko would be returning soon. It was one of those rare days where she actually left work early.

He wasn't really sure how the talk would go, considering the fact that she would probably be dead drunk when she came home, and also the fact that she didn't know that he'd be home that day. Come to think of it, he hadn't thought out his plan that well. "Crap." He muttered to himself, but only seconds after, he heard the door open.

What was that? No drunk sighing, no dizzily tapping feet – nothing. Just light footsteps, and someone removing their shoes in the hallway. Ryuuji quirked his eyebrows a bit as the woman entered the living room. With a plaid, long skirt and a suit jacket hanging over her shoulders, a pink blouse beneath it, stood Yasuko Takasu in the opening to the living room, smiling at Ryuuji without any surprise on her face.

She wasn't drunk. She wasn't even tipsy, and Ryuuji didn't understand why – after all, it was part of her job to get drunk.

"Y-you're.." Ryuuji stuttered, but he didn't really know what to say.

"Good afternoon." Yasuko beamed walking into the living room to sit down opposite of Ryuuji, putting her hands around the warm tea-cup. "I had this feeling in my gut, that my son would come home earlier than expected, and that he was going to need me to be sober." She smiled, talking about it as if it was nothing.

"E-eh.." Ryuuji murmured, slightly taken aback. Even if it didn't always seem like it, Yasuko had some really motherly abilities about her. "I'll put it bluntly, then." He said, folding his hands over the table. "Yasuko – no, mom.." He said, instantly making Yasuko's eyes widen a bit, a happily sad glint shining in her eyes. "I nearly.. died today." He said, in no way used to saying something like that, so he sounded a bit surprised.

"W-what?" Yasuko stuttered, her eyes widening even more. "What are you talking about, Ryuu-chan?"

"It's hard to explain, but.. I almost drowned. Or well, I did, but.. Taiga did some kind of weird CPR on me, and.. I'm alive." He sighed. He unfolded his hands from the table and looked at his mother, who stared at him with watery eyes, her lips quirking a bit.

"How could you?!" She blurted out, suddenly stepping right over the table, jumping from the middle of it. She landed on her knees right next to a surprised Ryuuji, and she hurriedly, pulled him into her grip, hugging him tightly, his face awkwardly pushed against her chest.  
"How could you do something like that to your mother, Ryuu-chan?" She wailed, a childish tone to her voice. Ryuuji smiled softly, a pang of guilt hitting him from the inside.

This person was his mother, but he never really acted like it. He owed her a lot more than what he had given her. "I'm sorry.. mom." Ryuuji murmured, patting her back softly. Yasuko pulled Ryuuji's face up, hugging him properly where they sat.

"I'm so glad you're safe." She said, a sudden seriousness in her voice – and a sudden parental attitude in her behavior. "I'd never be able to go on if you left me and Taiga-chan all alone, you know." She sighed, her hands softly fumbling through Ryuuji's blue hair. "Speaking of Taiga.. I met her outside. I heard about the.. moving." She murmured, closing her eyes as she felt Ryuuji's shoulders starting to shake.

"Y-yeah." Ryuuji replied simply, a lump forming in his throat. Yasuko smiled softly, letting her hands stroke gently over his back.

"Don't worry too much." She hummed softly. Ryuuji stayed silent, and they just sat there for a while, before Yasuko decided to break the silence. "You know.. I'm really glad I got to be your mother, Ryuuji. I might not be the best mother in the world, but still.." She sighed.

"I wouldn't want anyone else." Ryuuji smiled sadly, pulling away from the hug to look his mother in the eyes. "Because you're _my_ mother, and that's all that matters. Also-" He was broken off by a knock at the door.

"Ah, that must be the new tenant." Yasuko smiled, making Ryuuji quirk his brows in confusion.

"Tenant?" He asked, not grasping the situation fully. Yasuko shrugged playfully, standing up and walking into the hallway to get the door.

"Welcome! ~" Ryuuji could hear her beam from the hallway, and a big dump sound was heard. "I take it.. you need some help with that?" Yasuko stuttered, and Ryuuji heard some fumbling before Yasuko came stumbling into the living room, a gigantic bag landing on top of her, with something else stumbling after and landing on top of the bag.

"M-m-meet our new.. tenant." Yasuko groaned from under the bag, and the tiny girl stood up and brushed herself off, not paying any attention the blonde woman on the floor.

"Hello." The girl said, bowing lightly. "My name is Aisaka Taiga. I'll be in your care from today on."

"W-w-what the.."

**And that concludes this short moving arc ~ I'll try to update again as soon as possible.**


	27. Chapter 26

**Wow, these have been some stressing weeks at school. Anyways, I'm going to try and upload a chapter as soon as possible. Probably just lots of fluff this time, I guess. Filler-ish ~**

"Come on Taiga, get up!" Ryuuji ushered, shaking her practically lifeless body carefully with his hands. "Taiga!" He hissed. She groaned and muttered something before turning on her side, facing away from him. "Taiga, we have school, remember?!"

"No, we don't have school," She grunted, pulling her balled fists up to her chest, retracting her legs towards her body. "Our class is still on a trip, remember? And you almost died?" She sighed, turning back to Ryuuji with big eyes. "You should rest. And I'm not just saying that because I want to sleep more. That too, obviously, but not just that."

Ryuuji sighed and slumped down next to her, leaning his head in his hand as he looked at her. "I forgot.. guess I must be pretty tired too." He huffed, rolling his eyes at himself. Taiga shrugged and looked into Ryuuji's eyes.

"_W-wha.."_

"_I talked to Taiga earlier today. I told you that, right? I said that she could come live here. We have enough money to care for one more person, you know." Yasuko smiled brightly._

"_Dad was just selling the apartment, he never said anything about me finding my own place." Taiga grinned sheepishly, tilting her head as she looked at Ryuuji._

"_U-uh.." Ryuuji stuttered, though a wash of relief came over him. "That's.. fantastic." He smiled._

"And Yacchan even said she'd let us sleep on the same futon every night, so you should be grateful for that and let me use you as a pillow."

"Uh."

"Don't be ungrateful." She said monotonously, glaring daggers at Ryuuji. He shrugged with a little grunt and lay down on his back, Taiga resting her head on his chest, wrapping one arm around him. "There, see?" She smiled with closed eyes. "Good dog."

Ryuuji chuckled lightly, putting a hand on the back of her head, lightly patting at her hair. "Silly."

"Shut up," she smirked playfully, snuggling closer to him. "I'm trying to sleep."

…

"Seriously, that's so cheap and low quali-"

"No! I want instant ramen!"

"You know I can make much better than tha-"

"Raaaaameeeeen!" Taiga wailed, hitting her fist onto the kitchen counter stubbornly.

"Gah, fine." Ryuuji sighed, retrieving two cups of instant ramen from deep inside a cupboard, which they apparently had put there a while ago. "I'll make us ramen." He murmured. He was wearing a baggy sweater and sweatpants, while Taiga was still in her pajamas. They'd just gotten up, and Ryuuji was making breakfast, while Yasuko was sound asleep in her room. Even though she for once didn't have a hangover, she still had a sleepy heart.

Ryuuji started boiling water for the ramen, putting eggs into the water.

"Why are you putting eggs in it?" Taiga murmured, tilting her head.

"I can boil eggs in the same water, pour the water into the cups, and then add boiled eggs. It's pretty good." He said simply, clearing away some things from the kitchen counter.

"Oh. Ok." Taiga yawned, stretching her arms far into the air. Ryuuji let the eggs boil for a little while before carefully removing them from the water, to then pour it into the cups of instant ramen. He peeled the eggs and sliced them, adding them to the ramen before closing the lid to damp the eggs a little.

"There," Ryuuji sighed as he put the cups down by the table, sitting down. "It should be done in 4 minutes." He said, and Taiga nodded. Instead of sitting down by the table, she sat in front of the TV. "Why are you sitting there?" Ryuuji asked her, tilting his head.

"That's the great thing about ramen," Taiga grinned, "You can eat it while playing games or watching TV."

"Seriously.." Ryuuji uttered, narrowing his eyes a bit. "The norms I break for you. I just hope the gods of housekeeping will forgive me."

"Oh, don't be such a prude." Taiga teased.

"Shut up."

…

"Yaaaay! ~" Taiga beamed pointing at the TV with her chopsticks. "Did you see that? Did you, did you, did you?!" She smiled, and turned to Ryuuji, who currently had a mini tiger in his lap.

"Y-Yeah, I saw it." Ryuuji replied, looking a bit disgruntled. "Don't jump around like that when you're on someone's lap. It's tiring, and it's indecent."

"Hmpf!" Taiga pouted, and she started wriggling and squirming on top of him.

"Taiga, seriously." He squinted, and she put down her cup of ramen on the floor.

"Take, this!" She giggled, but then suddenly Ryuuji started tickling her sides. "Waaaah!" She wailed, her body stiffening.

"I told you to stop." He laughed, and she fell backwards into his chest as he kept on tickling her, and she laughed hysterically. "Do you yield? Do you?!" He teased, and Taiga bonked the back of her head into his chest so that he fell on his back.

"No!" Taiga grinned and jumped up on her feet, looking down at Ryuuji. She had a devious look on her face as she slowly brought her hands up, wriggling them towards the air. "Die, peasant!" She exclaimed and jumped down, tickling him all over the stomach.

"T-Taiga! No, stop that!" He wailed, and Taiga laughed even louder.

"Ryuuji, you sound like a girl!" She exclaimed, and he pouted.

"I do not!" He mumbled, and Taiga stopped tickling him.

"You did."

"Did not."

"Did too!"

"Tsh."

"I'm going to kiss you now. Is that okay?" Taiga tilted her head, looking down at Ryuuji's face.

"You taste of ramen." He grunted, and she narrowed her eyes.

"Like hell if I care." She cussed and then she kissed him. At first it was just a light peck on the lips, but then Taiga realized she wanted more, and so she took what she wanted. She ended up nibbling lightly on Ryuuji's lower lips, suckling a little on them afterwards. She nuzzled her head into his chest, giggling lightly to herself. "I really look forward to living with you, Ryuuji." She smiled childishly, and he couldn't help but to smile himself.

"Yeah. So do I." He smiled gently and put his hands on her back. She felt safe at first, but then it happened. Ryuuji moved his hands a little, and then placed his lips by her ear. "Tick~le att~ack~" He whispered, and a loud mixture of a scream and a laugh could be heard from the house.

**I know this was a pretty short chapter, but it was mostly to just open up the new arc with them living together ~**


	28. Chapter 27

"Taiga, stop!" The blue haired boy shouted. People in the streets turned their heads curiously, completely baffled by what they saw. They didn't understand what was going on, and not all of them really wanted to know either.

"THAT BIRD IS A MONSTER!" The tiny girl wailed. She was barefoot and running in her pajamas, a lamp-screen over her head. She probably couldn't even see a thing. The blue haired boy dashed after her, also just wearing pajamas. It was, more or less, the most peculiar thing to happen in that town for a long while. To even begin to understand, it would be a good idea to go a little back in time. Let's say 30 minutes.

…

"Water.." Taiga muttered, unsteadily walking across the tatami mats in the living room. Her eyes were heavy, with dark lines under them, and she only wore pajamas. "The big frog is telling me to get water." She mumbled and looked around. Yes. She was sleepwalking. It was about 9 am, which for Taiga on a day where she had stayed up late the night before, was way too early.

"Ah, you're awake." Ryuuji huffed from the kitchen, a bit surprised. "Taiga?" He asked when she didn't respond. She just wavered around the living room, mumbling something about frogs and water.

"So this is where the water is." She smirked lightly, pulling away the tiny curtain. It was the birds cage.

"I-I-Ink.." The bird stuttered. "I-I-IMBECILE!"

"ORYUUUUUUUH!" Taiga screamed, her back arching impossibly much. She fell back towards a drawer, knocking the lamp screen off of one of the lamps, making it land on top of her head. "Monster!" She wailed, and in only seconds she was running out the door with Ryuuji behind her.

And this brings us to the present.

"For how long are you going to run?!" Ryuuji exclaimed, trying to catch up to Taiga. What he'd now learned was that catching up to a scared tiger was almost an impossible task. After a while, though, Taiga had tired down and Ryuuji was catching up. One he caught her, he lifted her up and hanged her over his shoulder, instantly heading back towards the apartment. Taiga started ramming her fists into his back, wailing loudly.

"Don't bring me back to the Demon's Lair!" She cried, and Ryuuji had to explain to her that she'd been sleepwalking and that she'd seen Inko-chan say something really improper. Finally she understood, but Ryuuji didn't risk putting her back down until they were back.

Once they entered the house, Ryuuji sat Taiga down on the floor and she instantly crawled over to the table and rested her face on it, humming lowly to herself. "Ryuuji," she said after a while.

"Uh-huh?" He responded from the kitchen.

"We should get a kotatsu," She murmured.

"What?" Ryuuji uttered. "We have a kotatsu already, but there's no use bringing that out again yet. It's starting to get warmer outside, remember?"

"But I get so cold when I'm tired," She pouted childishly, rubbing her eyes while she looked over at Ryuuji. He shook his head and sighed.

"You could just use a blanket or something," he said, turning back to finish doing the dishes. It was quiet for a while, and Ryuuji thought that Taiga might have finally given up. But then he heard the sound of feet tapping hurriedly over the floor, and before he could turn around, Taiga was perched onto his back, pulling at his shoulders.

"Kotatsuuuu!" She wailed. Ryuuji's eyes widened in panic as he felt himself being pulled backwards, balance about to leave his legs.

"T-Taiga!" He exclaimed, and they both fell to the floor with a loud crash.

…

"Warm and good, heated and smooth, it's a kotatsuuuu ~" The girl sang happily with closed eyes, kicking her legs up and down under the heated table, her face and shoulders being the only thing sticking out from underneath. "I knew I could talk Ryuu-nyan into getting the kotatsu ~"

"More like beat me into it," he replied from the kitchen, sighing heavily. After a while he could hear the sound of his mother opening the door to her room. He heard her footsteps in the living room and instantly wondered how she would react to the fact that he had brought the kotatsu out. He walked into the living room and was greeted by the sight of Taiga and Yasuko lying next to each other under the heated table, wiggling their legs happily with their eyes closed.

"Seriously…" Ryuuji sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his head.

…

As the day progressed, Ryuuji witnessed how a heated table was literally able to make Taiga stupid. She rolled around under it and muttered incoherent words as if she was drunk. She also refused to leave. Didn't she get tired of just being under there all the time? It had been hours already. Even Yasuko had left the kotatsu and _actually _went out to do some shopping. She suddenly felt a bit more responsible now that she had two kids living in her house, and she wanted to buy groceries and such for the upcoming week. Ryuuji was surprised, but he didn't really mind.

He didn't know what to do about Taiga, though. She was just lying there, doing literally nothing at all. Suddenly, though, Ryuuji felt a bit cold. He made himself a cup of tea and sat down with his legs under the kotatsu, accidentally bumping into Taiga's legs. She groaned in discontent and kicked at Ryuuji's legs stubbornly. She didn't seem particularly happy with the fact that he had woken her up from her blissful slumber.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry," Ryuuji sighed and slowly started drinking from his tea. Taiga uttered another growl and calmed down, pouting to herself. After finishing his tea, Ryuuji slumped down on his back, realizing how comfortable it actually was to have his feet under the kotatsu. So that's why Taiga had been there for so long. He sighed and closed his eyes, deciding to relax since he didn't have much else to do. He scooted a little more under the table, half his torso and his head being the only thing sticking out from underneath it. He could slowly feel himself grow tired, his consciousness drifting away.

He awoke a while later as he felt incredibly warm, as if someone was holding a bath of fire above him. He opened his eyes and saw a head on his chest, staring up at him.

"So you ended up falling asleep yourself, huh," Taiga giggled lightly up at him and tilted her head. Ryuuji sighed.

"It's really warm with you on top of me like this…" He muttered, squirming a little. "It feels as if I might die, so-"

"That's too bad. I like it here," Taiga replied without hesitating, cuddling more into Ryuuji's chest. "It might be warm, but it's comfortable too." She smiled contently and closed her eyes. Ryuuji just sighed and lowered his head onto the floor in defeat. He guessed he could get used to this sort of thing. It would be easier to wake up Taiga before school too, when they lived in the same house, so he really didn't mind. It would be a nice change, even though it would pose quite a few challenges when it came to Taiga's neediness all the time. But moments like these were nice.

"You're a nice boyfriend, Ryuuji," Taiga said. She was trying to keep a calm composure, but it was impossible. She'd never called him that before. The blush was quite apparent on her face, and her breath was heavy. Ryuuji looked up at her in surprise, his mouth hanging open a little.

"U-Uh… you too. You're a nice girlfriend." He stuttered, and Taiga squealed.

"This is so embarrassing!" She pouted. Ryuuji was just about to reply but Taiga shot up and kissed him suddenly, too embarrassed to listen to what he had to say. He was surprised for a moment, but gave in and returned the kiss. The kiss, in addition to the body contact and heated table, made him even warmer. It literally felt like he was about to catch fire, but it was nice at the same time. After kissing for just a few seconds, Ryuuji felt something warm drip onto his cheeks. He broke the kiss and looked at Taiga, noticing her tears.

"What's wrong, Taiga?" He uttered in concern, brushing his thumb over her cheek. Taiga just shook her head.

"Y-You called me your girlfriend… I'm so happy that I can't help but to cry," she sniffled, a big smile on her face.

"Jeez," Ryuuji muttered, a soft smile on his face. "Come here."

He pulled her in for another kiss, and she returned it happily. And so they lay there for a while, just kissing and cuddling, not paying any attention to Inko-chan's repeated calls of "Perverts! Perverts!"

**I've been neglecting my fanfictions for way too long now. I just haven't had the motivation to write, I guess. This chapter was quite random, but I need some time to actually get back on track with the actual story. I'm so sorry for delaying this story without saying anything. –sobs violently in a corner-**


	29. Chapter 28

After a few very relaxing days at home, it was time for the rest of their class to get back from their trip and they would have to go back to school. The thought would usually be tiring, but they had been able to relax for quite some time so it wasn't too bad. Even Taiga had been able to get up without too much trouble that morning, actually seeming quite energetic compared to the usual mornings.

"R-Ryuuji!" She nearly exclaimed, standing in the doorway in her pajamas, looking like a nervous wreck. "L-Let me… let me help you with making lunch boxes!"

"Eh?" Ryuuji uttered, staring at her in disbelief. "This early in the morning? R-Really?"

"I want to be helpful!" She uttered, her lips twisting a little. Was it really that difficult for her to ask him something so simple? "I promise you, I'll do my best! I-I-I… I even brought my lucky charm!" She exclaimed with closed eyes, looking a bit embarrassed as she was obviously hiding something behind her back.

"And… what is that?" Ryuuji asked with squinted eyes, his lips twitching.

"I can't let you see. That'll ruin its power," she frowned, shoving it into the pocket of her pajama pants. Ryuuji chuckled a little and shrugged.

"Oh well, I don't have a problem with it. You can start with… hmm… filling the onigiri, okay?"

"Y-Yes!" She replied, nodding furiously as she ran over to the rice and the filling. She was still shaking a little. "R-Ryuuji… I need… uhm…" She looked down at her feet that were curling nervously, and Ryuuji smiled gently as he bent down and left a kiss on Taiga's forehead, ruffling her hair with his palm.

"Good luck," he nearly whispered before returning to what he was doing, preparing the food. Taiga could feel her body calming down a little, though her cheeks flushed completely red.

"Thanks," she said with a shy smile, turning back to the food. "T-Time to work."

After they had finished making lunch boxes, they sat down by the table to eat breakfast. Taiga was taking tiny sips from her tea, her oversized pajamas hanging over her hands as she held the cup. Ryuuji was lazily flipping through the newspapers without really paying attention to it as he ate his breakfast. He took a sip from his tea, but it got stuck in his throat when he saw something in the newspapers.

"WHA-" he coughed brutally, hitting his chest to make himself breathe properly. Taiga looked at him with big eyes, nearly dropping her tea-cup.

"W-what is it?!" She exclaimed, and Ryuuji handed her the newspapers. She read what was there and looked at the tiny picture, and suddenly she was laughing.

"Ryuuji, what the hell is this?!" She nearly cried, tears gathering in her eyes from laughing, and Ryuuji was clutching at his stomach as he had started laughing too. Taiga read the headline while trying to choke her laughter. "Teenage boys on a trip away from their hometown make the biggest sand castle the city of Okinawa has seen in 10 years. Here are the proud boys, including head of class representation, Yusaku Kitamura."

"I seriously can't believe it," Ryuuji laughed, rubbing his eyes.

"Look, it says something about the accident too. Not much, though, but… something about someone almost drowning. You're popular, Ryuuji, you're in the newspapers." She joked, smiling fondly up at him.

"I'd rather it didn't happen at all, though," he huffed and rolled his eyes as he rubbed the wounded spot on his back. "Oh well, I guess it's time we got going."

"Okay," Taiga nodded and finished up her breakfast in a hurry before they left for school. There was a chilly wind outside, so they both huddled close as they walked, trying their best to hurry to school.

When they reached their classroom, they were met by a few curious gazes from around the room. "What?" Ryuuji growled, and they all giggled a little. He frowned, and then Kitamura and some of the other boys came over. Noto and Haruta were off to the sides, while Kitamura was standing there with a big grin.

"You didn't happen to read the newspapers, did you?" He smiled, earning a sigh from Ryuuji.

"Yeah, I did…" He murmured. "Congratulations on that, I guess."

"Thanks," Kitamura grinned before his expression turned more serious. "But, Takasu-kun… how are you feeling?"

"Huh? Well, except from a sore back, I'm just fine." He said, shrugging.

"That's good," Kitamura sighed, patting Ryuuji's shoulder carefully before turning towards the classroom. "Class is about to start, so sit down," he said to his fellow male students who did as he said, and they sat down at their seats. Yeah, starting school again wasn't too bad, Ryuuji thought.

The first half of the day was pretty uneventful, and relaxing enough that they only had to take notes of whatever their teacher was siting. As lunch arrived, Ryuuji and Taiga joined Haruta and the other boys' table, where also Ami was seated with an idle expression on his face. They all shared stories about the things that had happened at the resort after Ryuuji and Taiga had left.

"I swear," Ami said in the middle of it all. "Once Aisaka-san and Takasu-kun had left, I was stranded there with nothing but unintellectual idiots around me." She murmured, looking pretty displeased. "Tell me, Taiga," She said with a cold look, pinching the fabric on Taiga's sleeve. "Why did you have to leave me behind with all these idiots? Tell me."

"U-U-Uh… s-sorry, but I had to take Ryuuji h-home, and… I… uhm…" She swallowed nervously, surprised that Ami was acting so friendly. Well, friendly in its own way, that was.

"Then tell me, Ryuuji," She said, turning to Ryuuji with the same dead glare. "Why did you have to go ahead and almost drown?"

Ryuuji was just generally taken aback by the fact that Ami was nonchalantly using his first name, nonetheless seeing her act like that. "U-Uh, well… it wasn't exactly on purpose." He said, scratching the back of his head with a nervous chuckle.

"Tsh," Ami scoffed, turning back to her food. Ryuuji and Taiga had started eating too. Or well, Ryuuji had. Taiga was staring at him as he took his first bite out of the onigiri. His face lit up a little, as if he'd have a pleasant surprise.

"H-How was it?!" Taiga exclaimed, making the people at the table look at her with big eyes. It wasn't exactly an inside voice.

"Eh?" Ryuuji uttered in surprise, turning to look at Taiga. He had practically forgotten that she was the one who had filled the onigiri. "Oh… uhm, perfect amount!" He said, and that was the truth. "Tomorrow, I'll let you make a more important part of breakfast."

"O-Okay!"

"Just make sure you're properly rested, and don't use too much time talking before we fall asleep. I don't want you messing up lunch because you're too tired."

"Don't worry, I'll do my best!" Taiga beamed, seeming quite pleased with herself. She blushed a little and started wiggling in her chair, her hands clutching at her chest. "I'm sure I'll fall asleep quickly if Ryuuji hugs me to sleep," she giggled lightly under her breath, looking like she was completely out of it. It was silent by the table, and when she looked up even Ami was blushing furiously.

"W-W-Wha…" Ami uttered, her mouth hanging wide open. They'd both forgotten the fact that no one knew they lived together now. The whole breakfast thing was old news, but now Taiga had made it quite obvious that it wasn't only the mornings they shared.

Haruta gasped and pointed at Ryuuji. "Ryuu-tan! What is this blasphemy? Have you sullied Aisaka-san's innocence?!"

"I-I have not!" Ryuuji exclaimed with a look of horror on his face. Everyone was kind of staring at them, and suddenly Taiga was almost blushing herself under the table.

"Y-You see… my dad sold my apartment, so I had to move back home, and then…"

Suddenly, Minorin appeared behind them with a dead expression on her face, having just dropped in on the conversation. "What?" She asked, looking at Taiga. "Taiga, what are you talking about?"

"Huh? Minorin…" She muttered, remembering that she hadn't seen her since the trip. "No, it's…"

"Are you moving back to him?" Minori asked, her voice sounding almost dead. She'd dreaded this moment ever since she met Taiga's father that one time before.

"No, you see… that's kind of the thing," Taiga giggled nervously, wriggling in her chair as the blush crept longer up on her face. It was simple to say, but it made her really shy to talk about. And she knew people would probably react pretty wildly to it, too. Ryuuji swallowed deeply, hoping no one would be mad at him. He had good intentions, after all. "Uhm… I kind of…" She mumbled something under her breath, and everyone moved a little closer to her.

"What did you say?" Ami asked, looking genuinely interested, a little blush still on her face.

"I kind of… live with Ryuuji now." She repeated, looking down at her lap. There was a complete silence with everyone looking surprised, Ami looking really embarrassed which definitely wasn't alike her, and Minorin suddenly attacking Ryuuji. Or well, he thought she was attacking him, but she actually tackled him off his chair and hugged him.

"You're a savior!" She yelled with her arms around his shoulders, laughing loudly before pulling back with a big grin. "O Savior Takasu-Sama!" She exclaimed, pumping her fist in the air. "You made sure she didn't have to leave! Thank you, thank you!"

"U-Uh… no problem," Ryuuji gulped with a nervous chuckle as he stood up, brushing some dust off of his clothes.

"Well, this is a reason to celebrate, wouldn't you say? After all, we get to keep our beloved tiger," Kitamura smiled with a little laugh. "There's something I want to talk to all of you about after school, so meet me outside of the school, okay?"

…

The rest of the day went on with ease, and even though what Kitamura had said was pretty plain, it really bothered both Ryuuji and Taiga. The curiosity was practically eating at them from the inside. It probably wasn't anything big, but they wanted to know.

"I see you're all here," Kitamura smiled as he counted Taiga, Ryuuji, Ami, Minori, Haruta, Noto, Nanako and Maya. He crouched down in front of his backpack and pulled out several plastic folders, handing one to each of them. "I want you all to read these before the weekend. We'll get together at a café on Saturday and discuss it, and we can take the celebration at the same time." He smiled, studying everyone's confused expressions.

"What is this?" Maya asked, wrinkling her nose as he turned the folder around in her hands.

"Yeah, it's not some boring school assignment, is it?" Nanako huffed, earning a laugh from Kitamura.

"It's a manuscript," He informed, nodding towards the folders in their hands. "Me and some third-years got together and wrote it all in a couple of weeks. They wanted to do something special before they graduated, and they wanted our help, so I said yes. I hope you will too. Trust me, it's quite interesting."

"A movie?" Ryuuji asked curiously, looking at Kitamura with a questioning gaze. "How do we get the resources for it? And… editing, all that?"

"We'll do it together. And trust me, some of those third years are more than just a little skilled with editing. I know one of them is aiming to become a film-maker after finishing her studies."

"Interesting," Ryuuji muttered, earning a surprised look from all of them. Ryuuji wasn't the kind of person to usually take interest in this kind of stuff.

"And of course, you're allowed to come with suggestions. This isn't the final draft, so feel free to comment on characters or the plot in general." Kitamura said, and they all nodded.

"What kind of movie is it?" Taiga asked, staring at the folder with big eyes. Even she seemed interested in it.

"I hope it has lots of explosions!" Haruta exclaimed, Noto nodding in agreement.

"And hackers." Noto added.

"It's… a little bit of lots of stuff." Kitamura said after pondering his answer for a while. "You'll see when you read the script… it's pretty unconventional, and original in its own ways. Though it does of course contain some of the usual clichés, but that's good sometimes."

"Alright," Maya nodded, a determined look on her face. "I will definitely read this before Saturday!"

"Me too!" Nanako exclaimed.

"Yup!"

"I'm in!"

Kitamura smiled contently. He had been looking forward to this project, and it seemed getting actors for the roles wasn't the biggest worry at all. This could definitely be an interesting thing to spend the last months in second grade on. He hoped the third graders would appreciate their help too. That would be the best.

After putting the manuscripts into their backpacks, they all went each their way towards their home, though Minori followed Taiga and Ryuuji.

"So this is your new home!" Minori exclaimed with a big grin, looking around the room. "It' so nice and cozy."

"It's good enough," Ryuuji said. "The mold is getting on my nerves, though," he murmured, silently flexing his fist as if declaring war on the mold yet again. Minori smiled and sat down by the table, stretching her arms with a yawn.

"Honestly, Taiga, before you said you moved here, I was really nervous you were actually going back to your family," She said, pulling Taiga into her arms, fake crying as she hugged her.

"But I am going to live with family," Taiga said with a confused tone to her voice. Minori pulled away from the hug and looked at Taiga with big eyes.

"What do you… oh." She said, suddenly smiling softly. Taiga nodded.

"Yup. Ryuuji and Yasuko is my family now. And you're part of my family too, kinda," She said with a petty voice, her hands folded in her lap. "I'm glad to… be with family."

A little gasp could be heard from the next room. "Taiga-san! ~" A voice wailed, and Yasuko emerged from her room, hurriedly kneeling down to hug Taiga. "That is so sweet! You will always be part of this family, I hope." She said.

"So this is your family?" Minori said with a gentle smile, and Taiga grinned up from Yasuko's embrace.

"Yes. Yes, it is."

"That settles it then! All three of us, sleepover on Saturday, right here!" Minori exclaimed.

"Ah, that sounds fun, Ryuu-chan!" Yasuko smiled, standing up while facing Ryuuji. "Can you have a sleepover here, pretty please?"

"… Fine," Ryuuji sighed, scratching the back of his head. "We'll head back here after we've been at the Café with Kitamura and the others. But for now, we should start reading that script."

"Okay!"


End file.
